Former Darth Vader: Three of George Lucas' Star Wars films were 'no comparison with the original films'

David Prowse, the man who played Darth Vader's physical form, is less than enthusiastic about George Lucas' prequel

Darth Vader, it seems, is not a happy Sith Lord, after dismissing George Lucas' prequel trilogy to the Star Wars series as "really bad movies".

David Prowse played the physical form of Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy.

As a character, Darth Vader features in all six Star Wars films before he is finally killed off in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.

Prowse, who is widely remembered for playing the Green Cross Code superhero in British Road Safety campaigns during the 1970s, was first spotted by Lucas after he appeared as a bodyguard in Stanley Kubrick's film A Clockwork Orange.

Speaking at the Hull Prospect Centre, Prowse said Lucas first approached him about playing Chewbacca, a role he turned down because he "didn't think he could wear a gorilla suit for three months".

Lucas then offered Prowse the role of villain Darth Vader, a character the director promised "nobody would ever forget".

"He said nobody would ever forget Darth Vader and here we are 30 years later and I am chasing all over the world doing these personal appearances,” Prowse explained.

“Nobody remembers the goodies in films. Everyone remembers the villains. Vader is now recognised as the ultimate screen villain of all time.“

The 78-year-old told the audience that throughout the films, he read all of his own lines, but arrived at the premiere of his first on screen appearance to discover his West Country tones had been replaced by those of James Earl Jones.

His lines were also completely changed, to the extent that he did not discover his character was Luke Skywalker's father until he attended the premiere of the film The Empire Strikes Back.

“They must have given me some completely different line, because it was all going to be overdubbed.

“When I went to see the movie I suddenly discovered I was Luke's father.

However, he said it is still his “favourite scene of all”.

When it came to unveiling Darth Vader in the final instalment of the trilogy, Prowse was once again eclipsed by another actor, this time Sebastian Shaw. For this reason, he said he has managed to remain largely anonymous for the majority of his life, according to the Hull Daily Mail.

There was no part for David in any of the prequels - films that Prowse was dismissive of.

"I didn't like Star Wars I, II and III at all," he said.

"I think the common opinion now is they were really bad movies.

"There's no comparison with the original movies. They had a much more believable story."

He added that he hoped to be considered for the upcoming Star Wars films that Disney will produce, so he could finally be "unmasked" from the star wars suit.

"Unfortunately, Darth Vader was killed off," he said.

"But it would be nice to come back and do another character, because no one's ever seen my face. I was never unmasked."