James Earl Jones Played Darth Vader, but He Doesn't Consider It an Acting Role

Darth Vader is associated even by people who are not Star Wars fans and have not seen the movie featuring him. The fallen Jedi knight has become a true icon of the universe, and Vader's revival was helped by James Earl Jones, who initially planned the collaboration with George Lucas to be temporary. Years later, however, the actor is one of the most popular people associated with Star Wars, even though nothing foreshadowed it (vide /Film).

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For James Earl Jones, it was supposed to be a simple one-day job. The actor needed to make a quick buck and playing Darth Vader was the perfect opportunity to do so. Especially since, as he himself admitted - was at that time completely out of money. Therefore, George Lucas did not need long to persuade the artist, who was in need, as Jones described in his 1993 autobiography James Earl Jones: Voices and Silences:

The casual job turned into a multi-year project and James Earl Jones lent his voice to Darth Vader not only in movies, but also in TV series, animated shows and even video games. Thanks to the actor, the villain is recognizable, while at the same time David Prowse has become somewhat forgotten. Nevertheless, for Jones, it was Prowse who did the greater work, as he had to physically impersonate Darth Vader.

Currently, James Earl Jones is 92 years old and announced his retirement last year. This means that he will not record his lines for the Sith again. Fortunately, the actor decided to sign a special agreement, which implies that Lucasfilm will be able to use artificial intelligence to make Darth Vader's voice still the same.

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Zbigniew Woznicki

Zbigniew Woznicki

He began his adventure with journalism and writing on the Allegro website, where he published news related to games, technology, and social media. He soon appeared on Gamepressure and Filmomaniak, writing about news related to the film industry. Despite being a huge fan of various TV series, his heart belongs to games of all kinds. He isn't afraid of any genre, and the adventure with Tibia taught him that sky and music in games are completely unnecessary. Years ago, he shared his experiences, moderating the forum of mmorpg.org.pl. Loves to complain, but of course constructively and in moderation.