Hayden Christensen: ‘Star Wars’ Fans “Finally Embrace Me”

in Star Wars

George Lucas Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader

Credit: Lucasfilm

The Star Wars universe owes much to actors Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor for their Prequel Trilogy that reshaped the future of George Lucas’ work. Still, Christensen is just now feeling that fans “embrace” him.

Hayden Christensen at Galaxys Edge in Disneyland
Credit: Disney

Related: Hayden Christen Officially Back as Darth Vader, Prepares to Slaughter ‘Kenobi’

20 years after making his Star Wars saga debut as the young Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, Hayden Christensen is returning to the galaxy far, far away to reprise his role of Skywalker and Sith Lord Darth Vader for the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series.

In less than two weeks, every Star Wars fan will be holding back the tears of seeing fan-favorites Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, and even Temuera Morrison (Captain Cody) return to the Kenobi series.

Hayden Christensen Obi-Wan Kenobi Series
Credit: Lucasfilm

Related: Ex-‘Mandalorian’ Star Gina Carano Issues Mic Drop on New Disney Controversy

It’s been a long run for these Prequel Trilogy heroes to make their official return, especially without the unfair amount of negative reviews towards Hayden Christensen’s portrayal as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005).

In a recent interview while promoting the Kenobi series, Christensen reveals that he’s finally feeling (after 20 years) that fans accept him:

Hayden Christensen says “it’s been so heartwarming for Star Wars fans to finally embrace me… I guess the moral of the story is patience.”

Related: “Get Dave Filoni On the Phone!”, ‘Star Wars’ Fans Demand New Series

Hayden Christensen stepped out of the mainstream Hollywood spotlight following the bad critical reviews against his Revenge of the Sith performance. Taking low-budget roles, Christensen disappeared from the public’s eye for 17 years.

Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi
Credit: Lucasfilm

Related: The Spin that Ruined ‘Star Wars’: Fans “Cringe” At ‘Book of Boba Fett’ Finale

It wasn’t until behind-the-scenes footage revealed that creator George Lucas wanted Christensen to act as stoic and wooden, like his son Luke Skywalker in The Book of Boba Fett series, in Revenge of the Sith. Clearing some of the air, fans are ecstatic to have Christensen come back as Darth Vader:

Hayden as Anakin is Fantastic. I am soo Happy. He deserves all of the love. The fact he got soo Much hate Back then doesn’t Deserve any hate.

Another fan wrote:

It’s like Andrew Garfield. Suddenly everyone and their mother were always fans of the Amazing Spider-Man.

It’s heartbreaking to hear that Christensen felt that he was unwelcomed and hated by most fans, but that’s not true. Younger generations of Star Wars fans have always regarded Hayden Christensen highly, but having the “OG” return breaks all barriers.

Related: Bryce Dallas Howard Reportedly Returning to ‘The Mandalorian’ Ahead Fan Movement

In the video above, Hayden Christensen said that “it was a quick ‘yes'” on returning with Ewan McGregor, sharing that “this is a character that has stayed with me. That I sort of continued to think about over the years… Continuing my exploration. It’s been a very unique opportunity.”

Christensen also shared:

“Once you’re in ‘Star Wars’ it never really leaves you. These stories and films have had sort of an incredibly impact on our culture… I’m always sort of reminded of my involvement. It’s a nice thing, my interaction with fans. When they tell me what those films meant to them, what the character meant to them… I really enjoyed getting to come back and further my journey with my character.”

Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker
Credit: Lucasfilm

Lucasfilm is ready to explore the work of George Lucas with the Obi-Wan Kenobi limited series like never before, and having McGregor and Christensen return is like Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield coming back as Peter Parker in Marvel’s Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021).

More about Obi-Wan Kenobi

The story begins ten years after the dramatic events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, where Obi-Wan Kenobi faced his most significant defeat—the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, who turned to the dark side as evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.

Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi
Credit: Lucasfilm

Related: ‘Kenobi’, ‘Andor’ Casting Leak Seemingly Confirms Satine Kryze

“The rematch of the century” teased by Kathleen Kennedy, director Deborah Chow, and Lucasfilm will be supported by Moses Ingram (Inquisitor Reva), Joel Edgerton (Uncle Owen), Bonnie Piesse (Beru Lars), Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell, and Benny Safdie.

Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker (left) and Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi (right)
Credit: Lucasfilm

This new Star Wars story covers the aftershocks of the fall of the Jedi Order, seeing Obi-Wan Kenobi shift into the drifter Ben Kenobi as he watches over a young Luke Skywalker on Tatooine.

The world of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Darth Vader (James Earl Jones), Jedi Master Yoda (Frank Oz), Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein), Darth Maul (Ray Parker), Anakin Skywalker (Boba Fett (Jeremy Bulloch/Temura Morrison), Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), Grogu (AKA “Baby Yoda”), Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff)Koska Reeves (Sasha Banks), Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen), and Moff Gideon’s (Giancarlo Esposito) the Millennium Falcon, the Death Star, and The Clone Wars.

Within the Star Wars franchise, Lucasfilm is moving past Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) or the controversial Rian Johnson Star Wars film The Last Jedi (2018) as we dive into the Old Republic or explore new realities of the Star Wars universe with each new TV show or the upcoming Star Wars game like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 or Star Wars Eclipse.

Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi
Credit: Lucasfilm

Obi-Wan Kenobi debuts in less than two weeks on Disney+ on May 27th!

Have you always been a Hayden Christensen fan? Did he deserve so much hate? Comment below!

in Star Wars

View Comments (17)