Hayden

Hayden Panettiere has opened up about being given “happy pills” when she was 15, before red carpet interviews.The actor, now 32, became a child star at 11 years old with her roles in soap operas and the 2000 sports classic Remember the Titans. Speaking in a new interview with People about her history of addiction to opioids and alcohol, she said she was 15 years old when she was first offered drugs by someone on her team. “They were to make me peppy during interviews,” Panettiere said. “I had no idea that this was not an…

Image via Dimension Films As far as we know, Neve Campbell won’t be returning as Sidney Prescott in next year’s Scream 6, but the good news is that another fan-favorite is set to make a comeback for the first time in over a decade instead. Hayden Panettiere’s Kirby Reed was easily one of the best additions to the horror saga introduced in 2011’s Scream 4, with folks long convinced that she secretly survived the movie’s events. Now that theory’s been made official, and it turns out it’s all thanks to Panettiere…

via Lucasfilm Actor Hayden Christensen is back on the Obi-Wan Kenobi show alongside Ewan McGregor, has been embraced at long last by Star Wars fans and, with his return, has begun to share stories like the time he tried to beat McGregor at pool with the Force. “I remember when we were first starting on Episode II when I was first getting to play the character, I used to do that a little bit. I remember going to a local bar with Ewan and playing pool and really trying my best to affect where the balls were…

via Lucasfilm According to the Star Wars actor who took the brunt of the criticism when the prequel trilogy came out in the early 2000s, it was mostly the critics who tried to find flaws with the work, but the fans always “got it.” In a recent chat with Entertainment Weekly to celebrate the premiere of Obi-Wan Kenobi, where Hayden Christensen reprises his role as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader after more than 17 years, the actor addressed what it’s like to take in the shifted view on George Lucas’ then-divisive…

Image via Lucasfilm Since Hayden Christensen owes everything he knows about Anakin Skywalker to George Lucas and has essentially explored the protagonist in the prequel trilogy through the Star Wars creator, it’s very surprising to hear that he hasn’t been in touch with him to discuss the return of Darth Vader. In a chat with Total Film, Christensen revealed that he hasn’t talked to Lucas recently. When asked to explain the reason behind that strange factoid, here’s what the returning Obi-Wan Kenobi star had to…

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…