Christensen

Image via Lucasfilm Before fans showed an outpour of love for George Lucas’ Star Wars prequel trilogy in recent years, the Hayden Christensen-led movies were widely considered to be the worst thing since unsliced bread. Now, in celebration of his return to the galaxy far, far away in just a few days through Obi-Wan Kenobi, the actor has risen to the defense of the prequels, or more specifically, an element that took the brunt of the criticism back in the day. As Christensen explained it in a chat with The…

Hayden Christensen has responded to criticism of his performance as a young Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequel films.The actor played Anakin as he transistioned to become the villainous Darth Vader in Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, and will reprise the role in the new Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi.When the prequels were released, they received mixed reviews from fans and reviewers, with Christensen’s performance often singled out for criticism. In a new interview with The…

Hayden Christensen has a confession to make. “I have a seven-year old-daughter; I have not shown her Star Wars,” the actor says, as though he has just admitted a shameful secret. “I know! I know! I feel like I’m probably dragging my feet a little bit at this point, because all of her friends have seen the movies. And, of course, she’s aware of my involvement in them.”Christensen’s hesitancy is perhaps to be expected. When he took on the roles of Anakin Skywalker and Skywalker’s later incarnation, Darth Vader, in the Star…

For 20 years, Darth Vader’s origins were the stuff of mystery to Star Wars fans, before Anakin Skywalker’s story was told across the prequel trilogy. Given the pressure George Lucas and his team were under to get it right, then, it’s no surprise that the films ended up being hugely controversial at the time, especially Hayden Christensen’s portrayal of the future Sith Lord. When you realize just how difficult a task Christensen was set in bringing the young Darth Vader to life, however, even the most ardent…

Kids have been playing at being Darth Vader for decades, but the guy who actually got to make that childhood dream a reality was Hayden Christensen, the man who brought the adult Anakin Skywalker to life in the Star Wars prequels. Ahead of Christensen’s return to the galaxy far, far away in Obi-Wan Kenobi, the actor has recalled how he celebrated landing the role two decades ago — and it’s adorable. May 16 marks the 20th anniversary of Attack of the Clones — something that’s making fans feel as old as Palpatine — so…