David Prowse Banned from Celebration 5

[palitoy]

Topless Robot - PRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWSSSEE

I'm not that surpised to hear this...

[MIB41]

Lord... Those costume actors sure have a diluted concept of their contributions to film. I think he needs to have a reality check with James Earl Jones...

[palitoy]

Normally I'd side with the actor on this kind of thing, ( Adam West and Clayton Moore come to mind) but Prowse is the single rudest celebrity I've ever met at a convention. He actually turned his back to my then girlfriend.

[johnmiic]

...Prowse is the single rudest celebrity I've ever met at a convention. He actually turned his back to my then girlfriend.

Maybe he was "in-character" at these cons?

[SUP-Ronin]

I've also read that he's a total DB. No loss.

[Cmonster]

Let me share some insight here--

I know Dave personally and have spent some time with him discussing his bitterness towards the Lucas machine. I'll be the first one to say that he's been rude to people and a not so nice guy. I've seen him do it. I'm not going to defend his behavior, nor am I taking sides, but I will say this;

The guy played a character in these films where his voice was not used and his face was completely covered by a mask. Of course, he wished they would have at least used his voice, but he was cool with it all for a while... Then, after "Empire", Lucas told him personally, that Vader would be unmasked in the next film. Dave was elated. His face would finally be seen after all this time.

Cut to: A year and a half later... They're shooting "Jedi" and on the day of shooting, director Richard Marquand pulls Prowse aside and he's told that Sebastian Shaw will be used for the unmasking scene and read the dialog for Anakin Skywalker.

That's a true story. Put yourself in the guy's shoes... That's a pretty cruel thing to do, especially given how much he was looking forward to doing that scene.

Again, I'm not condoning what he's done at conventions or how he's treated people. Just giving you all some background on what happened to the guy and why he's that way. It's not an excuse. Just telling a story...

SC

[Earth 2 Chris]

^ Prowse came to the comic shop I worked at in college, and I was his gopher for the day. He told us the same story. He was a bit distant but polite enough to all of us and his customers. I've heard the horror stories, and I of course believe them, but on those occasions, he was fine.

Chris

[palitoy]

It sounds like a raw deal from Lucas but it doesn't justify rudeness to the general public. He sets up a table at these shows, it's not like we're pestering him at his home.

I bring my kid to shows, really tried to swing C5 to be honest, it would crushing to him if Darth Vader was a dick.

[Cmonster]

It sounds like a raw deal from Lucas but it doesn't justify rudeness to the general public. He sets up a table at these shows, it's not like we're pestering him at his home.

I bring my kid to shows, really tried to swing C5 to be honest, it would crushing to him if Darth Vader was a dick.

Understood, Brian. You're 100% right... I was just trying to perhaps provide some background and reason why he's like that.

SC

[palitoy]

hmmmm, I was wearing a plaid shirt when I met him....

[B-Lister]

Screw him.

I don't care for movie stars that charge $25 for an autograph anyway.

I wouldn't pay $100 for Shatner, and I can see HIS face, what makes this 'costume filler' think I care?

seriously, what's his contribution to the saga?, if not him, some other seven foot tall guy would've played him. I'm sure Mayhew wouldn't have minded pulling double duty.

plus, I don't hear Mayhew whining that we never saw his face. So this primadonna attitude is ridiculous. It was thirty years ago, time to get off the teat.

and I thought Star Wars FANS were bad.....sheesh.

[Mikey]

I'll always have him in the same catagory as the guy that was inside the Lost In Space robot's suit.

To me the real robot was Dick Tufeld and the real Vader was James Earl Jones.

[MIB41]

Thanks for the back story Cmonster. I actually met this gentleman back in 1993 at a convention in Lexington, KY ("Lextrek"). He was there with Mark Goodard (Lost in Space' Don West) and Walter Koenig (Star Trek's Chekov). At one point promoters had to ask fans to come over to Dave's table because he was literally getting no one! Now when I met him, he was a complete gentleman to me, so I can never say anything to the contrary of that experience. Clearly I either got him on a good day or he changed sometime after that event. Who knows. That being said, I have never been able to fully grasp why someone in his shoes would ever consider his role in Star Wars as anything other than an easy paycheck for the rest of his life. How can he think otherwise? He didn't speak any dialogue. He took instruction on how to pose and when to gesture for dialogue prompts. He didn't do ANYTHING.

I notice Palitoy mentioned Adam West and Clayton Moore as examples. I don't consider them "costume actors" in the way I was using the term. Sure they wore costumes, but they also gave performances. Those performances is how we see the characters, so they are entitled to the fame they have garnered. David Prowse was essentially doing little more than stuntman work like someone who would play Michael Myers or Jason in a horror film. Mr. Prowse didn't do anything more than what the extras did in the Storm Trooper outfits. The only difference for him was how his character was written. He might have had more hours at the shop, but he didn't bring any artistry to the part. No one says, "Wow Dave. What was your inspiration to clutch your fist when James Earl Jones told Luke he was his father?" You know what I mean? When we hear James Earl Jones, THAT is the performance we relate to Darth Vader. Why Prowse would feel entitlement for the fame of Darth Vader is really misplaced.

[palitoy]

I only compared him to Moore and West in that they were legally restricted from identifying with a character they played.

[MIB41]

I only compared him to Moore and West in that they were legally restricted from identifying with a character they played.

Good point too! Thanks Palitoy. You know, I'm actually surprised Prowse is allowed to go to other conventions and sign Star Wars pictures if Lucas has banned him from all Star Wars related events. It seems to me, that ban would shut him down entirely. If he's signing a photo of Darth Vader that is use of the Star Wars image.