You would think that one of the most iconic movie villains would be somewhere scaring children or plotting ways to take over the universe, but since the president has both of those on lock, Darthvader can go back to his regular life, living in Tennessee and working a regular job, just like the rest of us.
Thatβs right: Darthvader Williamson, 39, is a surgical assistant at St. Francis Hospital-Bartlett in Memphis.
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βI like to fly under the radar,β Williamson told ABC News. βIβve always kept a low profile. Iβve never been like, βHey, look, my nameβs Darthvader.ββ
Carrying a name like βDarth Vader,β which Williamson spells as one word, can be tough for a teen, but when ladies love it, you kind of have to embrace.
βHe wanted to change his name when he was little, but after the girls started telling him they liked the name, he wanted to keep it,β Williamsonβs mom, Patricia Knowles, 64, told the news station with a laugh.
Williamson can blame the name on his dad, who was a huge Star Wars fan.
βHis dad and I were stationed at Fort Hood,β Knowles said. βHis dad went into the store and came back with a little baseball card of the Lord Darth Vader character and had it on the dashboard. He said, βIf Iβm not here when heβs bornβbecause Iβm on orders to go to GermanyβI want you to name my son this.β
She went on, βI told him thatβs a hard name. When he gets in his teens, theyβll say, βYo, Lord, you want to hang out tonight?β And he didnβt want to change it. He wanted to keep it exact. But I said, βI canβt do it. I can deal with the Darth Vader part of the name, but not the Lord.β
Williamsonβs mom admits that sheβd never seen the movie and didnβt know that Vader was βoriginally a Jedi prophesied to bring balance to the Force,β who eventually falls prey to the dark side and serves the evil Galactic Empire. But Knowles kept her promise, and Darthvader Williamson was born Jan. 14, 1978, a few months after the movie debuted in 1977.
βThereβs been state troopers that have stopped me and asked to take a picture with me,β Williamson said. βAnd when Rogue One came out, people were asking if I could go with them to see it so they could say they went to Star Wars with the real Darth Vader. Iβm like, βNo, thank you.ββ
The funniest part of this whole story is that Darthvader isnβt really a fan of the Star Wars series.
βThe last Star Wars I saw was Return of the Jedi in 1983,β he recalled, ABC reports. βI have not had the slightest inclination to see the new ones. To me, itβs just always been a nameβnothing I went around glamorizing or having attention drawn to. My wife calls me an old man in a young manβs body. Iβm kind of a recluse. Iβm just a real private person.β
Knowles, who has since familiarized herself with the dark movie villain, sees similarities between the two.
βThe character was just in control of the people and he just took charge,β she says. βBut then again, he had that warm side of him nobody had ever seen. Darthvader is like that.β
Read more at ABC News.
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