On screen, David Prowse could strangle a man with a flick of his finger and destroy planets from his space station, but the actor best known for playing Darth Vader in the Star Wars films was less persuasive when it came to dealing with Hollywood.

Prowse has revealed that although he is entitled to a small percentage of box office receipts for two of the three original Star Wars films — The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi — he has not received residual payments for Return of the Jedi because producers told him that it has not made a profit.

“In the last 30 years you can count the number of times [The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi] have been in the cinema on one hand, and it never returned much money,” he said in an interview in Equity magazine. “I get these occasional letters from Lucasfilm saying that we regret to inform you that as Return of the Jedi has never gone into profit, we’ve got nothing to send you. Now here we’re talking about one of the biggest releases of all time.”

In real terms, Return of the Jedi is the fifth highest grossing film so far made. The film made $572 million (£388 million) at cinemas worldwide, including an estimated $88 million when it was re-released as a “special edition” in 1997.

Friends of Prowse said that the letter informing him that Return of the Jedi had not made a profit was referring to the special edition. Under the terms of his contract, he would be entitled to a percentage of cinema takings once the film had exceeded its production costs. The expense of adding new footage to Return of the Jedi for the special edition is not clear, but it is estimated that the cost of revamping its prequel, The Empire Strikes Back, was $7 million.

Lucasfilm, the production company, declined to say whether costs for the Return of the Jedi special edition had exceeded its $88 million box office receipts. Lynne Hale, director of public relations, said: “Lucasfilm, as a matter of policy, does not discuss its financial arrangements with cast or crew on its movies, and we will respect that policy here other than to say that Mr Prowse’s statement is not accurate.”

Prowse, a former bodybuilder and British weightlifting champion in the 1960s, told The Times that he did not harbour any resentment towards Lucasfilm because he is so grateful for the role. “I don’t want to look like I’m bitching about it,” he said, “but on the other hand, if there’s a pot of gold somewhere that I ought to be having a share of, I would like to see it.”

He warned young actors that it was essential to check the small print in contracts. “There is a big difference between having a share of the gross profit and having a share of the net profit. It is a huge difference in just one word. Sometimes, with net profit, with all the expenses and so on, it seems like you end up paying them.”

Prowse, who remains popular among fans of the films, said: “It all worked out very nicely for me. Darth Vader became the cult figure of the series and a big role in the subsequent movies and it’s stood me in good stead for the past 30 years.”

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