#Darth vader actor original movie

Shaw's scene in Return of the Jedi was filmed in only one day at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, England. Sebastian Shaw portraying Anakin Skywalker as a Force ghost alongside Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi during the original final scene of Return of the Jedi. 'Wow,' I said.' ―Sebastian Shaw, about when Mark Hamill removed the Darth Vader mask ' Incidentally, Mark nearly took my ears with it. The Star Wars saga had passed him blissfully by.' Filming When McDiarmid asked him what he was doing there, Shaw simply responded, 'I don't know, dear boy, I think it's something to do with science-fiction.' McDiarmid later reflected upon the comment, 'That was Sebastian. When Shaw arrived at the set for filming, he ran into his friend Ian McDiarmid, the actor playing Emperor Palpatine, but Shaw did not tell him anything about the part.

#Darth vader actor original movie

His contract included a stipulation that he could not even tell family or friends the part he would be playing Shaw told Starlog when asked by his loved ones about the role, he would answer, 'I'm sorry, I'm not at liberty to tell you.' Shaw received many press inquiries about his part in the movie once word of his casting was leaked, but he did not discuss his participation in the film until George Lucas gave him permission after the film's 1983 theatrical release. Shaw participated in an audition for the Return of the Jedi part but, due to the secrecy regarding the production, was not allowed to see his portion of the actual script until he had guaranteed to take the role and promised not to reveal any film secrets to anyone. ' So secret was it that my actual contract said that I was not to disclose my role to nobody, not even my nearest and dearest.' ―Sebastian Shaw Shaw was familiar with the previous two Star Wars films and enjoyed them particularly for the visual effects, which he described in an interview with science-fiction film magazine Starlog as 'brilliant techniques which, in many ways, were revolutionary, something quite new.' Secrecy At the time he was approached for the film, Shaw was playing such Shakespearean roles as Charles VI in Henry V and First Gravedigger in Hamlet at London's Barbican Centre. Since the scene was arguably the emotional climax of the film, the casting crew wanted an experienced actor for the role.

Although David Prowse played the costumed scenes and James Earl Jones portrayed the voice of Darth Vader, just as they had in the first two films, Shaw was to play a single scene with Mark Hamill, during the moment aboard the Death Star when Luke Skywalker unmasks his dying father. In 1982, Sebastian Shaw was chosen for the brief, but crucial role as Anakin Skywalker in Return of the Jedi, the third and final movie in the original Star Wars trilogy. Sebastian Shaw and Mark Hamill during their Return of the Jedi scene. It wasn't easy to bring off.' ―Sebastian Shaw The point was, they decided that they needed a very experienced actor to play that very difficult scene. Ten years later, his image as a Force ghost during the final scene of Return of the Jedi was replaced with that of prequel actor Hayden Christensen for the movie's 2004 DVD re-release. Sebastian Shaw died of natural causes at age 89 in 1994. Due to the extreme secrecy demanded by Star Wars creator George Lucas, Shaw knew no details of his part until he was guaranteed to play the role, and was forbidden from discussing it with anyone, even his family and friends, until after the theatrical release. One of Shaw's more famous roles is his brief but important performance in Return of the Jedi, in which he portrayed a redeemed Anakin Skywalker during the moment aboard the Death Star II when Luke Skywalker unmasks his dying father. He also wrote a novel, The Christening, in 1975. Shaw was particularly known for his performances in William Shakespeare productions, which were considered daring and ahead of his time. A self-described 'rotten actor' as a youth, Sebastian claimed to mature as a performer after returning from service in the Royal Air Force during World War II. Over the course of his 65-year career, Shaw appeared in more than 40 film and television productions, but was mostly known for his dozens of stage performances. Sebastian Shaw ( May 29, 1905– December 23, 1994) was an English stage, film, television and radio actor, as well as a director, novelist, playwright and poet. Whether in films, plays, television or on the radio, his unobtrusive manner, sharp intelligence, tactful style and polished technique gave all his work a quiet distinction.' ―Adan Benedick

' Sebastian Shaw was the kind of character actor who could rise to any dramatic occasion.