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We were hoping to re-open today, but circumstances have conspired against us. We will, however, re-open properly on Saturday. Hope to see you then!
DAVE PROWSE - THE ONE TRUE VADER
We have to take a second to mark the passing of David Prowse, a true giant in pretty much every sense of that word. When I was a small child I, and every other British kid growing up in the seventies, knew Prowse as The Green Cross Code Man, and he remained incredibly proud of that role.
He was best known, of course, as the man behind Darth Vader. It wasn't his voice, and in what seemed to my twelve year old self in 1983 to be an inexplicable betrayal* it wasn't his face when Luke took off his mask in Return of the Jedi, but he was always the man behind the mask. It was the sheer physicality of his performance that made Vader the force that he was. We'll say no more about the shabby way he was treated by Lucasfilm in general and George Lucas in particular. Now is not the time for such negativity.
I met Prowse just once, at Sci-Fi Scarborough a few years ago. It was the end of the day, I was flat out of cash and all the cash machines nearby were empty. I had intended to buy a signed photo, but not being able to I figured I'd have to catch up with him at a different con. I figured there was no way he'd want to bother with the likes of me if I wasn't buying something.
But as I was leaving I saw him sitting alone behind his table, and so I plucked up the courage to go and speak to the great man. He was wonderful. I just went over to shake his hand, and would have been happy with that. But he was amazing. We chatted for more than half an hour about Vader, and the Green Cross Code Man. He made me feel like the most important person in the room - he made everybody feel like that, I think.
So here's to you, Mr Prowse. Thank you for everything,
*Still does
NOT COMICS, BUT STILL RELEVANT - UMBRELLA ACADEMY ACTOR COMES OUT AS TRANS
Elliot Page, star of Juno, X-Men Days of Future Past, and Umbrella Academy, amongst other things, has come out as a trans man with the pronouns He/They.
That's not the story. What we're impressed with is the speed with which the geek oriented internet has reacted to correct their records. If you know who we're talking about, you know their dead name*, and if you don't this story is either of no interest or you will work it out, so we won't use it here.
It's a brave thing to do, and we support their decision. There has been some comment online regarding whether Page could continue to portray the character of Vanya, who is female, now that they are out in public as a person who identifies as male.
We don't know how Page feels about this. I know. Turns out we're not on their "Call when undergoing major life changes" list. But it seems to us that there's no reason why he couldn't do so if he wanted to - he is after all exactly the same person that he was when they made seasons one and two, he's an actor, Vanya is a character he seems to have a good handle on. It doesn't seem like there should be a problem.
It has been confirmed that Page will be playing Vanya in season three, so I guess both he and the showrunners are cool with it, and really, that's all we should need to know.
*If you're not up with the lingo, a "Dead Name" is the name a trans person used before they came out as trans/accepted that they were trans/embraced their true identity**
**Please accept that I'm the most cis-gendered person in creation and this is my attempt to explain something I have not experienced to other people who have not experienced it. More informed comment is encouraged.