FLIcK Magazine

Interview: Father Figure

Q: What were your initial instructions for playing Darth Vader? Was there a back story that you created for your own purposes of portraying the character?

A: I just decided to play it as heavy as I could, where Darth Vader just didn't have much of a sense of humor. The problem doing the second film is where we asked, "What did we do right? How do we capture that again?" I tried to do more inflections, and then Lucas said, "I think it's not good to have too much inflection, just a very narrow band of inflection." [Director Irvin] Kershner for the second film put down his own voice so he could suggest what I could do with the voice, and his voice is higher and scratchier and much scarier than I could ever be. I hope someday they'll offer that in a specialty recording!

Q: There have been so many actors involved in the portrayal of Darth Vader. Whom among them have you met?

A: I haven't met any of them...[but] I like Hayden Christensen very much. He reminds me of my son. I like the set of his head and attitude. He does it for me.

Q: What is your favorite Darth Vader line?

A: Every young fan that comes up to me, they ask me to say to them different lines. I can't remember all of them, though!

Q: When did you start getting recognized by the public for your role in SW, and how did the experience affect you personally?

A: I'm of the generation that saw the first Exorcist, and I was a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences at the time, and it was asked why shouldn't Mercedes McCambridge get recognized for the voice of the devil. Well, I was of the opinion that it was a special effect, and I didn't want to get caught up in that. So when people would ask me if I did the voice after the first film, I would say no, and I did that for two years. Then I decided to take credit for [Vader's] swan song. I took credit with the third one that was filmed. I played along with the mystery. It was fun!

Q: Who is your favorite movie villain of all time?

A: Perhaps the creature in Alien. The alien was up to no good except to breed and protect her eggs so maybe she wasn't really a villain! And a villain is someone with a persona, so of course the barroom in Star Wars was filled with strange kinds of creatures that have a persona, so they may be called evil. But I'm mystified by the sudden revival of popularity of movies about satanic evil, about creatures that came out of hell, like Constantine. Hellboy made some kind of sense because [the main character] had a kind of persona, whereas other creatures don't. And then there's something like the War of the Worlds, which was not taken as fun originally. People freaked out about it, but I think the moviemakers think there is a sort of appeal there. For instance, like the story of Grendel: Grendel was a bad guy, but Beowulf depended on a bad guy to fight.

Q: How closely have you followed the role of Darth Vader through the trilogies?

A: It was important for me to see all the films to understand the character and also to listen to the director's instructions.

Q: Do people still ask you to do "the voice?"

A: I'm not allowed to; Lucasfilm owns that character. People ask me to do it for their answering machines, but I can't. I've never been tempted to. Sometimes I might be giving a speech somewhere at a college, and the students ask me to and I say, "You can do the lines better than I can!"

Q: What would you like to say to movie fans who are about to watch Episode III?

A: This movie is also for children. If you forget that, you could miss the point, as it's for the same children who went to Saturday matinees in the old days.

(more insider scoops)

Q: Best advice you have ever received?

A: From Carl Sandberg, "Take no advice, including this."

Q: Your idea of the perfect day?

A: I'm fairly fond of gloomy days, as you can stay home and watch movies that are hard to watch-like Ingmar Bergman films or other foreign films.

Q: Last movie you saw?

A: Ray on the small screen

Q: Favorite movie as a kid?

A: Grapes of Wrath

Q: Must-haves on the set/in your trailer?

A: Kleenex tissue

Q: Last book you read?

A: I don't read much for pleasure. I read books for projects I'm researching.

Rapid Fire Questions

Q: Popcorn or candy?

A: Popcorn is the only way to enjoy a movie. It's more essential than the screen itself!

Q: Singing or dancing?

A: Neither. I stopped trying to dance with the Boogaloo! (laughs)

Q: Morning or night person?

A: Night person, which is unfortunate because when you're doing a movie you have get up at four or five in the morning. When I do a play, it's wonderful though.

Q: FM, AM, or satellite radio?

A: I like AM in the car because I get more news.

Q: Dressed up or casual?

A: I rarely put on a tie unless it's a costume.

Q: Diet or regular (soft drink)?

A: Diet drink

Q: Hot or cold drinks?

A: It depends. If my body feels like it needs something, usually it's a cold drink.

Q: Reading the book or seeing the movie?

A: A book is more fulfilling for the audience, except for the Titus film. We could witness things which the play could never do.

Q: Watching movie on DVD or the theater?

A: It's limited how I much I can go out, as it becomes "an evening about you." I start signing autographs, etc. My family likes me to stay home sometimes to avoid all that attention. So I rely on the small screen.

Q: A ball game or the theatre?

A: I have to be very careful of public events. The last baseball game I took my son to was very enjoyable. Most ball games I prefer to watch on the screen because I have no idea where the ball is.

Q: Reality TV-yea or nay?

A: I don't know what it's about, and I really can't watch it. I think what should happen in the media is storytelling. American Idol is as close to reality TV as I ever want to get, because it's about real people and real experiences. I don't really like reality TV. I don't see the story in reality TV. It's a way to fill up time, and when you become aware of that, that's when you have to turn it off. My whole point hinges around storytelling.