While some fans can't be trusted to keep plots of major books, movies and television shows a secret, we know that the actors can — thanks to their professionalism and, well, the fear of breaching their NDAs. Of course, that isn't a foolproof system, and many stories have been reported in which irreplaceable franchise actors have accidentally spilled the beans and tried to cover it up. After all, the internet makes it easy for even the most obscure press junket interview to go viral.
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00:00While some fans can't be trusted to keep plots of major books,
00:04movies, and television shows a secret, we know that the actors can,
00:07thanks to their professionalism and, well, the fear of breaching their NDAs.
00:12Zip!
00:14Many years ago, however, a spoiler almost destroyed a major future plot twist that
00:19creator George Lucas' original Star Wars trilogy intended to set up. Luke Skywalker
00:24and Darth Vader's father-son reveal.
00:26No, I am your father."
00:30David Prowse, the late actor behind Darth Vader's helmet in the films, was the culprit.
00:35Thankfully, the lack of the World Wide Web back in the day stopped the spoiler from
00:39ruining Star Wars forever. Still, when George Lucas got wind of it, it was the beginning of
00:43a feud with David Prowse, one that would eventually lead to the filmmaker banning
00:47the actor from all future Star Wars events. David Prowse portrayed the imposing evil figure
00:52in the original trilogy of films. He also provided dialogue on set for Darth Vader,
00:57before Star Wars creator George Lucas hired James Earl Jones to dub over him.
01:02I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan. We meet again at last."
01:07When Vader's true face was revealed in Return of the Jedi, actor Sebastian Shaw was seen as the
01:12man behind the mask, and not Prowse, the actor known for physically portraying the antagonist
01:16inside the suit. Ever wondered why that was? Prowse's longstanding feud with George Lucas
01:21had something to do with it. In late 1978, two years before Empire Strikes Back hit theaters,
01:27David Prowse made a public appearance where he revealed to the press that Darth Vader was Luke's
01:32father. The moment was reported by the San Francisco Examiner. The world didn't have
01:36access to the internet then, so George Lucas and Star Wars enthusiasts had no way of knowing that
01:41David Prowse was running around and spilling the beans on the most valuable piece of information
01:46the franchise could ever have. David Prowse said that there would be a Luke vs. Vader do-or-die
01:52lightsaber duel. During the ensuing battle, Luke would learn that Vader was his father,
01:56and in the words of Prowse,
01:58"'Father can't kill son, son can't kill father.' So they live again to star in Star Wars 4."
02:03The actor later called the big reveal a lucky guess,
02:06since the script for The Empire Strikes Back hadn't been written yet.
02:09Regardless of Prowse's defense, George Lucas was furious about the reveal. The filmmaker
02:14passed Sebastian Shaw for the role of the unmasked Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi,
02:19leaving Prowse only in the suit while Vader's helmet was on,
02:22although he was allegedly promised the unmasked part. In 2010,
02:26Prowse appeared in The People vs. George Lucas, a supposedly anti-Lucas documentary.
02:31"'I imagine George in a crystal castle drinking margaritas, lying on a bed made of people.'"
02:36The actor's relationship with George Lucas severed the same year,
02:40and he was banned from attending all Star Wars events. Prowse said in a statement on his website,
02:44"'After inquiring, the only thing I have been told is that I have burned too many
02:48bridges between Lucasfilm and myself. No other reason was given.'"
02:52According to Den of Geek, the actor also narrated an incident from the early 80s,
02:57when a journalist called him to discuss his weightlifting career. The conversation quickly
03:01sidetracked when Prowse was asked about his character being killed off in the third Star
03:05Wars movie. Prowse said,
03:07"'He turned up at my gymnasium that evening, and halfway through he says,
03:11"'You know you're being killed off in this movie, don't you? And another guy's playing
03:14the dying Darth Vader?' I said, "'They wouldn't do that. They wouldn't go and
03:18unmask somebody else after I've played the part for six years.' He asked if I had a call sheet,
03:23and he looked at it and it said, "'Dave Prowse, Darth Vader, Studio 1,' and underneath it,
03:29"'Sebastian Shaw, Anakin Skywalker, Studio 10.'"
03:32Prowse then went on to recall how the Daily Mail ran a story the day after the interview,
03:36with a headline that read,
03:38"'Darth Vader to be killed off in the next movie,' in an interview with David Prowse."
03:42It was the last straw in his relationship with Lucasfilm,
03:45and spoiled his association with the franchise forever. The actor recalled,
03:50"'And that ruined my association with Star Wars. I was ostracized while on the movie.
03:54The producer and director wouldn't work with me, and Lucas wouldn't speak to me.
03:59I had six weeks of purgatory.'"
04:01In his autobiography, Straight from the Force's Mouth,
04:04Prowse once again clarified that the reporter had broken the news of Darth Vader's death to him,
04:09not the other way around. Despite their personal quibbles, George Lucas paid
04:13tribute to the actor after he passed away in 2020 at the age of 85. The filmmaker said that
04:19David Prowse made Darth Vader, quote, "'leap off the page.'" Lucas added,
04:24"'David was up for anything, and contributed to the success of what
04:27would become a memorable, tragic figure. May he rest in peace.'"