Darth Vader is not only the most famous villain in theStar Warssaga, but also one of the most important in the history of cinema, andHayden Christensenknows it very well. The actor, who played not only the evil version of the character recently, but also the young man underneath the suit, still has a lot to ponder regarding the character.
Christensen first appeared in the franchise in 2002, playing an older version of Anakin Skywalker, taking the place of Jake Lloyd afterStar Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. InAttack of the Clones, the future Jedi behind Vader’s mask took his first steps within the order, being trained by Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Last year, thanks to the franchise’s expansion to the small screen, the actor returned to play the villain alongside his co-star in theObi-Wan Kenobiseries for Disney+, set between the events of the prequel trilogy and the original one.
Darth Vader, for his part, made his debut inStar Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, being one of the main enemies that Luke, Leia and Han Solo had to defeat to overthrow the Empire. The villain hid a powerful past revealed later to Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill, and whose story would be explored in the prequel trilogy.
And it is precisely the complexity of Darth Vader’s story that most attracted Christensen when playing him.
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Hayden Christensen Says Anakin’s Fall into the Dark Side Was ‘Understandable’
During his participation inVariety’s Actors on Actorssection, in which he was able to chat with another greatStar Warsstar, Diego Luna, Christensen reflected on Anakin’s story and his transformation into Darth Vader:
“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.”
The actor also talked about the image he had before about the character, seeing him in the original trilogy:
“The image of Darth Vader is very well known. I remember being a kid, before I had seen the films, having a connection to this character, just being very taken with the physical presence and the voice. I remember scaring my little sister just trying to imitate the Darth Vader voice, and it worked. So there’s something about the construct of that character that just is very effective.”
For now, it is unknown if Christensen will be reprising the role of Darth Vader ever again, since a second season forObi Wan-Kenobiis currently looking unlikely. Luna, on the other hand, will return as Cassian in the second season ofAndor, coming to Disney+ in 2024.
