Ms. Marvel Star Iman Vellani Went to the Same High School as Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Hayden Christensen

Next Wednesday will see the long-awaited premiere of Ms. Marvel on Disney+, but that’s not the only thing dropping on the streaming site that day. The fourth episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi will be streaming at the same time, and Disney isn’t the only connection between the two shows. Ms. Marvel star, Iman Vellani, is from Canada and actually went to the same high school as Obi-Wan Kenobi star, Hayden Christensen. While the two actors attended Unionville High School in the city of Markham, Ontario during different decades, it’s a connection that Vellani won’t soon forget. 

“We take pride in Hayden Christensen,” Vellani said of her high school when talking to Now Toronto. “He was in the same drama program that I did. After my news got out, my drama teacher was thriving. He taught Darth Vader and Ms. Marvel. How crazy is that?”

In another interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Vellani opened up about when she first became acquainted with her character. Turns out, she discovered Ms. Marvel #19 at a local comic book store. “I’m like, ‘OK, who’s this brown girl now?’” Vellani shared. “It just blew my mind that a superhero comic was showcasing Eid [the Muslim festival marking the end of Ramadan].” Vellani added, “She was my total comfort character … She felt so much like me, and a lot of that comes from not just her background and ethnicity but because she’s such a fan of the Marvel universe, too.”

Ms. Marvel introduces Kamala Khan-a 16-year-old Pakistani American from Jersey City. An aspiring artist, an avid gamer, and a voracious fan-fiction scribe, she is a huge fan of the Avengers, especially Captain Marvel. Kamala has always struggled to find her place in the world until she gets superpowers like the heroes she’s always looked up to.

As for Christensen, the actor recently talked about his return to playing Darth Vader in Obi-Wan Kenobi.

“We learn more about [Vader in Obi-Wan Kenobi],” Christensen told Yahoo. “He’s a very complex character, there’s a lot there to dig into. He’s on a mission. He’s very driven in his pursuit of hunting down the remaining Jedi, and that mission is a very personal one for him.” He added, “In a lot of ways [Vader’s mission] is him reconciling his past, and trying to realize the identity that he really wants to move towards … He’s trying to bury Anakin as deep down inside as possible … He’s trying to kill that side of himself.”

The fourth episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi and the first episode of Ms. Marvel drop on Disney+ on June 8th.