I know this may not be a bombshell to most “Star Wars” fans, but James Earl Jones was not in the Darth Vader suit at the time of filming. For the eight people who didn’t know that, sorry to ruin the illusion.
Since Jones’s voice was dubbed in later, David Prowse, the English Actor and body builder (thanks wikipedia) inside the suit, could be heard saying the lines during the actual filming.
This is actual footage from the filming of the first movie. Not really the menacing voice of a Sith Lord, or a body builder for that matter. But he delivers the lines with such gusto. Such fervor.
I don’t know about you, but all I can think about is THIS.
Celebrity endorsements mean a lot to marketing executives as their cash cows bring in the dough from the consumers. Take Tiger Woods, for instance. Before he crashed into that tree and cheated on his wife with numerous women, he was the spokesperson for Nike, Tag Heuer, Accenture and more name brands who trusted his name and face to their campaigns.
According to Gerry Philpott, the reason that we bother with celebrities at all goes something like this:
“In a very crowded media environment its hard for companies to stand out. They need those names to cut through the clutter.”
According to E-Poll, the highest ranked A-list celebrities made the cut for the highest in trustworthiness, awareness and appeal.
10. Denzel Washington
The Academy Award-winning actor has never shied away from Tinseltown’s more meaty roles, portraying historical heavyweights like Malcolm X and Hurricane Carter. Among the results: He commands his viewers’ attention–and respect–whether he’s playing a corrupt cop in Training Day or a depressed detective in The Bone Collector.
9. Bill Cosby
The Cosby Show star has earned himself an “America’s Dad” nickname and an instantly endearing image–and advertisers have taken notice. In fact, over the course of his decades-long career as an actor and comedian, he’s served as a spokesman for Jello, Kodak, Coca-Cola and Ford, among others.
8. Will Smith
The former Fresh Prince star has reigned over the box office with commercial blockbusters like Independence Day, Men In Black and I Am Legend. With talent, charm and a stable family life on his resume, Smith is the kind of celebrity marketers can’t help but drool over.
7. Ron Howard
The name–or better yet the freckled face of–Ron Howard conjures images of an adorable redhead named Opie Taylor (on The Andy Griffith Show) or an endearing teen by the name of Richie Cunningham (on Happy Days). But Howard has since proved that he has talent on the other side of the camera as well, directing and producing Oscar-caliber films like A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13 and Cinderella Man. Up next he’ll update his 1980s flick Parenthood starring Peter Krause and Lauren Graham on NBC.
6. Sally Field
In recent years the Norma Rae star has garnered attention–and fans–as the Emmy-winning matriarch of the Walker family on ABC’s long-running drama Brothers & Sisters. Off set she’s lent her star power to a postmenopausal osteoporosis medication called Boniva.
5. Morgan Freeman
The Academy Award-winning actor and director is often described as the man who made films like Million Dollar Baby, Driving Miss Daisy and The Shawshank Redemption the successes that they were. Still others instantly associate him with reserved image and authoritative speaking voice. Freeman has put the latter to good use–he replaced Walter Cronkite as the voice that introduces the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric.
4. Mike Rowe
As host of Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs as well as the narrator for other series like Deadliest Catch and Ghost Lab, Rowe has endeared himself to an ever-expanding fan base. To date, companies like Ford and W.W. Grainger have already attempted to connect with those adoring fans–and their wallets.
3. Michael J. Fox
As Alex P. Keaton on the 1980s sitcom Family Ties, actor Michael J. Fox earned viewers’ affection. As a leading activist in the fight for Parkinson’s disease funding (a disease he was diagnosed with more than a decade ago), he has earned their respect. For these and other reasons (like talent and fame), Fox is among the marketing world’s safest bets.
2. Tom Hanks
Audiences laughed with Hanks as a wisecracking cross-dresser on the early 1980s cult comedy series Bosom Buddies. They cried with him as a homosexual AIDS victim in the 1993 tearjerker Philadelphia. And they rallied with him as a slow-witted Southerner in the 1994 runaway hit Forrest Gump. Throughout these and other roles the Academy Award-winning actor and director managed to earn their esteem, respect and confidence.
1. James Earl Jones
Jones boasts one of the most instantly recognizable voices in entertainment history –and a commanding presence to match. Still best known as the voice of Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy, he’s also lent his voice to the CNN tagline and NBC’s Olympic coverage and his acting skills to everything from Conan the Barbarian to Field of Dreams.
Who would you add to the list? Who’s your favorite most trustworthy celebrity?
source: The 10 Most Trusted Celebrities – [forbes]
