Can you imagine how much fun it would be to helm your own movie in the galaxy far, far away, like Rogue One director Gareth Edwards got to do? Think of how exciting it would be, as a Star Wars fanatic, to lead your own army of Stormtroopers, and oversee the final construction of the original Death Star. Not to mention telling the tale of the brave rebels who stole the plans for the Empire’s secret super weapon. But, even more exhilarating than all of that, how insane would it have been to direct the greatest villain in the history of movies, Darth Vader?
At the Rogue One: A Star War’s Story world premiere last week, Edwards sat down with our very own Dan Casey to discuss what it was like to have the infamous Sith Lord come to set and await directions.
Edwards talked about the silence that came over the normally loud movie set when Vader first walked out, and how the Sith Lord’s presence turned everyone, including him, into a five-year-old. Edwards filmed rehearsals without the suit, since it was easy for him to forget that it was just a man in a costume and not the actual Dark Side master standing before him.
Beyond having to overcome the urge to simply freak out like any other fan would upon meeting the iconic figure, Edwards also said there was a technical problem many might not have considered: shooting someone who is less of a character and more of a machine is a time-consuming and unique problem. That’s because filming a scene with Darth Vader is more like “lighting an automobile than a person.”
Look, we know (for the most part) that Edwards was just directing an actor wearing an amazing suit and not an actual Sith Lord, but in the future, in case any other lucky person gets to film a Star Wars movie that happens to have Darth Vader in it, maybe don’t mention he is more of a machine than a man when he walks on to the set.
You can never be too careful when dealing with someone that can Force choke you.
What do you think it would be like to direct Darth Vader himself? Would you be able to keep your excitement under control like a Jedi, or would your emotions get the best of you? Use the Force (and our comments section below) to tell us what you imagine it would be like to boss around the greatest villain ever.
Featured Image: Lucasfilm
