Hayden Christensen Talks About "Star Wars"

Hayden Christensen on Anakin Skywalker: Asked if Anakin is a mask, Christensen said that’s not how he played him. “No, that was just who Anakin was. He’s sort of this un-emotive kid who has a hard time with his emotions. You know, there’s a lot obviously boiling under the surface, stuff that shouldn’t be there, so he’s very hesitant to show it. That’s just how I saw it.”

Hayden Christensen on Learning from the Veteran Actors on the Set of "Star Wars:" “I think I learned the most - from all the actors I’ve worked with - from Ian [McDiarmid], not because he’s here, but because it was just an eye-opening experience getting to sit in that opera scene with him and listen to him tell that story and watch the subtly and still everything that he’s able to convey within that subtly. I’d just sit there and shake my head and [be] like, ‘Ohhh, I’m not supposed to be shaking my head. Whoops.’ He’s such a kind man and is willing to share his wisdom and help you when you ask for it. So, you know, I learned an awful lot.”

On Which was More Difficult - Preparing Mentally or Physically for “Star Wars Episode III:” “It was the physical preparation which was probably the most challenging. George asked me beforehand to put on some size – which I’ve since lost. But he wanted me to bulk up and to physically show the maturity that had taken place between the two films. And I did that over about a 3 month period before we started filming. That was just a very grueling schedule. Actually getting to execute it on set was just good fun. And working with Ian wasn’t really so much challenging as it was rewarding and easy, because it’s very easy when you’re acting with actors who give a lot and are as good as he is.”

Hayden Christensen on Seeing Kids Dressed as Anakin and Darth Vader: “Now I’ve got two characters that people can dress up as. I don’t know. I was expecting a different reaction, to be honest. Kids still are enamored with this hero and I would have thought it would have changed now they saw Anakin [change], and maybe they would have been a little shy at first. But it really hasn’t changed anything. If anything, they’re just more drawn to him.

I still get little kids coming up to me wanting lightsaber training and I play along with it. I love it. But at Halloween…I sit home at Halloween now. I don’t go out. But when my mom calls me that there’s someone dressed up as Anakin, I’ll go to the door and give them their candy, which is fun.”

Hayden Christensen on How He Feels About His Involvement in the “Star Wars” Franchise: Some actors distance themselves from their “Star Wars” experiences while others wholeheartedly embrace it. In the years to come, how does Christensen think he’ll feel about his time spent working on the “Star Wars” saga? “It will always be very dear to my heart, without question. This has been like a wild ride for the past five years and, you know, has just dramatically impacted my life, 90% for the better. I don’t know. I cherish that and feel forever indebted to George for giving me the opportunity,” said Christensen.

Speaking about actors from past “Star Wars” films, Christensen said that although they may have appeared together in Vanity Fair, the older cast and the newer version weren’t actually together for that photo shoot. Christensen said, “That’s the magic of the computers they use. …Our shoot was on our day off and everyone who was working on ‘Episode III’ was obviously there, but Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford and that lot were not there. Through the magic of technology they were in the picture.”

Hayden Christensen on Becoming an Action Figure: Christensen said one of the attractions to signing on to “Star Wars Episode II” and “III” was the fact he’d become an action figure. “It was exactly that. The fact that I was going to have my own action figure. I was going to get to play myself in a video game and how cool was that? I mean, I personally have an older brother who was a fanatic and had all the action figures and memorabilia and so I was very aware of the merchandising aspect of being involved in these films, and at the time was very excited about it. Now you know you can walk into a convenience store and see your face everywhere when the film is out – it’s a different story.”

Hayden Christensen’s Involvement in the Video Game: “It was just sort of good fun. They invited me up for a couple of days to help sort of shape the character in the video game. It was a fun group of guys all very excited that they make video games. And Nick Gillard, the fellow who choreographs the fights, came out as well. We just, you know, fought with lightsabers for a couple of days and it was fun.”

Page 3: Hayden Christensen on "Star Wars Episode III" Deleted Scenes and Future Projects