How did James Earl Jones create his Darth Vader voice in the original Star Wars? How did George Lucas choose Jones for the role? And what if Darth Vader wasn’t voiced by James Earl Jones? It turns out the iconic Darth Vader voice was the work of several brilliant people, so in this week’s video essay, I look at the history of Darth Vader and the voice that has made him arguably the most recognized villain in movie history. Darth Vader was originally voiced on set by the man who actually donned the outfit, David Prowse. George Lucas looked at other actors for the part, too, before finding James Earl Jones. And of course, there’s the breathing, created by Star Wars sound designer Ben Burtt, the design itself, and the people who constructed it. A lot of people worked hard to create the look and sound of Darth Vader. Had things been any other way, who knows how the history of the Star Wars franchise might have been altered.
