I’m not sure I had ever heard of Spencer Wilding before I went to MegaCon 2017 and I wasn’t even sure I was going to make it to see him. His current claim to fame is as the man in the suit as Darth Vader in Rogue One. As one of the guys who is taking the place of David Browse, he has some pretty big shoes to fill. Unfortunately, due to failing health, David Prowse is not able to act or even attend conventions anymore. I fortunately got to see him a number of years ago at MegaCon.
It turns out that Spencer Wilding is from Wales and like David Prowse (and Peter Mayhew for that matter) he is quite tall at 6’6″ (the same exact height as David Prowse incidentally but a little shorter than Peter Mayhew’s 7’3″). While Darth Vader is perhaps his most famous role thus far, he has been in a number of other movies that most people would recognize.
Among other roles, Spencer Wilding has been a guard in Guardians of the Galaxy, several different creatures in Doctor Who, a Knight of Hogwarts and a werewolf in Harry Potter, a White Walker in Game of Thrones and other similar roles in Batman Begins, Eragon, Stardust, The Golden Compass, Ghost Rider and others. In part because of his size, he often plays the roles of various creatures when a human actor is necessary and/or does stunts. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him back as Darth Vader one day (rumor has it that he may be performing that role in the upcoming Han Solo movie).
It’s always interesting to go to these actor panels, regardless of how familiar you are with the actor. There are almost always interesting stories that are told or interesting questions that are answered. Despite being someone who would probably terrify you if you ran into him in a dark alley, Spencer Wilding seemed like a genuinely nice guy and it was interesting hearing about his acting experience and other things he had to say.
Check him out at MegaCon 2017:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGYto-PplLs
