Star Wars star Hayden Christensen has opened up about how George Lucas and the prequel movies humanized Darth Vader.
What did Hayden Christensen say about the Star Wars prequels?
While speaking with fellow Star Wars lead Diego Luna for Variety, Christensen got onto the topic of playing Vader and how director George Lucas portrayed Anakin’s backstory in the prequel movies.
“George Lucas subverted our expectations and understanding of this character, when he went back to Episode I and introduced him as this very sweet young kid who just had a lot of promise and potential,” Christensen explained. “He mapped out a very compelling character arc that was hopefully somewhat sympathetic. I think we understood what Anakin was going through, and why he was making some choices that perhaps weren’t the best, and the circumstances surrounding his life.
“So it was a very understandable fall to the dark side, but it humanized him and made him a real person and almost somewhat of a pathetic person in a lot of ways. And you feel for Darth Vader now in a different way, too. Because it’s this man trapped in this life that perhaps he didn’t really want.”
Hayden Christensen first played Anakin Skywalker in 2002’s Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. He would reprise the role in 2005’s Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, which saw his full transition from Anakin into Darth Vader. He most recently played the character in the series Obi-Wan Kenobi and will play Vader again in the upcoming Ahsoka series, which is set to debut on Disney+ this August.
