Hayden Christensen has been known around the world for portraying the iconic role of Anakin Skywalker aka Darth Vader in the legendary Star Wars franchise. Portraying the role for several years, Christensen received mixed reviews for his acting.
Talking about his journey and experiences throughout the Star Wars franchise, Hayden Christensen revealed that it wasn’t as simple as it seemed. The actor stated that he fell in love with Star Wars even before he had seen the movies and in his words “instantly became obsessed”.
Hayden Christensen Fell In Love With Star Wars Before Seeing The Movies!
Portraying Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise, Christensen was initially disliked for his portrayal. The actor, however, redeemed himself in recent years and the fans have started loving him again as Darth Vader/ Anakin Skywalker.
Well, in an interview with Empire, Hayden Christensen talked about the fact that he fell in love with the franchise before he even saw the movies. The Ahsoka actor revealed that it was his older brother who had toys of different Star Wars characters. Playing with them was how the actor was introduced to the world of Star Wars and later joined the franchise as one of them!
“My earliest memories of Star Wars are through my older brother. I was first introduced to the characters through all the toys he had. He had everything, the Millennium Falcon, Star Wars bedsheets… And he was the one that showed me the films for the first time.”
He further continued,
“I was 11 or 12, and I instantly became a fan as well. But it was really the merchandising that first captivated my imagination. The characters meant something to me, even before I had seen the films.”
As the interview further continued, Hayden Christensen talked about how he joined the Star Wars franchise. The actor revealed that when the casting for Anakin Skywalker was announced, the actor was over the moon but it seemed too big.
How Hayden Christensen Joined The Dark Side
Portraying the role of Darth Vader was a big opportunity for the Canadian actor but he did not give up on it. Although disliked at first, Christensen would later go on to receive worldwide fame from fans around the world. In his interview, the actor talked about how he initially got the opportunity to portray the role of Anakin Skywalker!
“I was 18, and I got a call from my agent saying that they were casting for Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars and I thought, “Wow, how cool.” But it just seemed too big.”
He further continued,
“And I remember asking my agent, “Is there maybe another role that they’re also casting right now that you can put me up for? Because Anakin sort of seems unattainable.” And there was not. So I threw my name in the hat like everyone else.”
Christensen was last seen portraying the role of Anakin Skywalker in the 2023 Disney series Ahsoka starring Rosario Dawson. Receiving high ratings, the entirety of the Star Wars franchise is available to stream on Disney+.
