Hayden Christensen Recalls the Day He Was Cast As Anakin Skywalker

Hayden Christensen recalls his excited reaction to the news of him being cast as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.

Hayden Christensen recalls the memory of how he reacted to being cast as Anakin Skywalker for the Star Wars prequels. Christensen, who first stepped into the role of Anakin for the 2002 film Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, is set to return to the galaxy as Darth Vader in the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series. It will be the first time Christensen has put on Vader’s infamous armor since 2005’s Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, and his return has already been met with enthusiastic praise from viewers.

Christensen has had his ups and downs with Star Wars, mostly around the time when the prequel trilogy first came out. The films were infamously critiqued in a rather harsh manner, and both Christensen and Ewan McGregor (who played Obi-Wan Kenobi) have said that affected their relationship with Star Wars for many years. Since returning as Vader, Christensen has shared how encouraged he feels by the warm reactions he’s seeing from audiences. With the children of the Star Wars prequel trilogy audience now grown up, the love for those three films has grown immensely, which has not only helped the actors but also has generated even more hype around Christensen’s and McGregor’s return on Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Related: Star Wars Sequels’ Lightsaber Duels Perfectly Blend Original & Prequel Trilogies

Now, 20 years after the release of Attack of the Clones, Christensen recalls to Star Wars what it was like when he first found out he’d be stepping into the famed galaxy. The actor says that he shared the moment with his roommate at the time, who caught Christensen smiling after he got the important phone call. With his roommate also being a big Star Wars fan, the two of them went on to have an imaginary lightsaber battle — but the excitement didn’t stop there. Read the full story as told by Christensen below:

I remember when I got the phone call saying that I got the part. I was still in bed, actually, in my apartment in Vancouver at the time. I recall walking out after I got off the phone, just sort of stunned and in disbelief by the news, walking into the living room where my roommate was. He was aware that I was waiting for this call, and he saw my smile and immediately understood that there was good news. My response was, I lit up an imaginary lightsaber. He was a big Star Wars fan too, and he had the soundtrack to Episode I. He put the Star Wars soundtrack on, and we had this whole imaginary lightsaber duel around our apartment, jumping on all the furniture and just screaming like giddy little children.

The heartwarming story proves exactly why Christensen has always been perfect for the role of Star Wars‘ Anakin. It’s easy to believe that the person who had an imaginary lightsaber battle would grow up to become the father of daydreaming Luke Skywalker. It is, however, just one reason of many why Christensen has captivated audience’s hearts with his Anakin performance. There’s no doubt he’ll have the same effect even as Vader upon the Obi-Wan Kenobi audience. While “whimsical” isn’t exactly in Vader’s vocabulary or demeanor, it’s easy to imagine how Christensen would be able to fully transform into the iconic character once he was suited up.

Christensen’s performance has been seen in a new and refreshing light since his first Star Wars appearance 20 years ago, and it’s one that he deserves despite the style changes of the prequels as compared to the originals. To see how Christensen’s relationship with Star Wars has been reconciled is very encouraging, especially in a world where the Star Wars sequel trilogy and its stars such as Daisy Ridley and Kelly Marie Tran are now taking many hits. The wounds will no doubt heal with time as the generations continue to get older and fully express what their childhood Star Wars trilogy means to them, something that all comes back to how Christensen reacted to his Star Wars casting. At the end of the day, everyone wants to have a place in the galaxy where they can have an epic imaginary lightsaber fight, whether it’s in the style of Luke vs. Vader, Obi-Wan vs. Anakin, or Rey vs. Kylo Ren.

Next: Star Wars Confirms Obi-Wan Knew About Anakin & Padmé All Along

Source: Star Wars

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