Hayden Christensen has had a resurgence in the Star Wars universe as he returned as Darth Vader/ Anakin Skywalker in recent Disney+ shows like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka. His return was met with immense fanfare that the actor previously didn’t receive for playing the part in the prequel trilogy back in the day.
Fans were not in sync with Christensen’s portrayal of Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith back in the day. They deemed his performance as lazy and over the top in many scenes. However, the actor was fully committed to the role and never used a double in the action sequences.
Hayden Christensen Fully Dedicated Himself To Playing Anakin Skywalker
Hayden Christensen made his debut in the Star Wars universe with 2002’s Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and reprised his role in 2005’s Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. Audiences were not enthusiastic about his performance and were underwhelmed with how he presented the evolution of Anakin, who would go on to become the iconic Darth Vader from the original trilogy.
However, Hayden Christensen was fully committed to the character and doing it right. He talked to Orlando Sentinel during the promotion of Attack of the Clones about his process of getting into the skin of the character. Despite fans’ lukewarm response to his performance, Christensen was all in, not even using a body double in the action sequences. He said,
“Every Anakin you see is always me, never a double, it could be a digital me; you never know when they do that.”
Christensen had his own input when it came to Darth Vader’s movements and how there is “almost an awkwardness to his (Vader’s) movements” (via Contact Music). His Vader was just starting to find his groove and was not as mature as in the original trilogy. Lucas gave him a heavier and rigid costume which included a shoe lift, to compensate for the height difference between him and David Prowse who played Vader in the original trilogy.
Hayden Christensen’s Daughter is Not Interested In Star Wars Yet
Hayden Christensen‘s entire career has been defined by his time in the Star Wars prequel films and his role as Anakin Skywalker. He is still playing the character in the modern Disney+ Star Wars series such as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka. So, it was natural that the actor wanted to introduce his most beloved role to his daughter Briar Rose.
During a recent Star Wars panel at MegaCon in Orlando, Florida, last Saturday, Christensen revealed that her daughter is still not interested in watching Star Wars despite his best efforts to make her experience it. Instead, she is more interested in watching Disney stuff like Liv and Maddie. He said (via People),
“I was dragging my feet for a while, kind of wanting to hold off. But now she’s 9 years old and I feel like she’s at an appropriate age where I could share it with her. There have been a few times where I’ve actually offered it up and I’ve said, ‘Sweetheart, would you like to watch Star Wars?’
“There’s always something else that she’s more interested in. We’re watching a lot of this show called Liv and Maddie right now, So, every time I bring it up, she’s like, ‘Let’s watch Liv and Maddie, please.'”
Christensen’s daughter will slowly but surely get to know his father’s legacy in the franchise as she grows up into her teenage years. As for the actor’s future in Star Wars, nothing is known as of yet and fans should have to wait for news regarding the same. Audiences can experience all his appearances in the Star Wars universe on Disney+.
