Obi-Wan Kenobi Star Hayden Christensen Says Darth Vader Is Trying to Kill Anakin’s Side in Disney+ Series

The most iconic villain in Star Wars history has returned to the screen, with Darth Vader acting as the main antagonist for the Obi-Wan Kenobi series on Disney+. Hayden Christensen, who played Anakin Skywalker in the final two films of the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, came back to play Vader opposite former Star Wars co-star Ewan McGregor. This is a unique point in Vader’s history, as he’s dealing with quite a bit of inner conflict.

Christensen spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about his role as Vader in Obi-Wan Kenobi and said that the character is still battling with who he used to be. Anakin was a good guy, Vader is spending time during Obi-Wan Kenobi actively trying to get rid of what’s left of Anakin.

“I always see Anakin as a throughline and an undercurrent to this character,” Christensen explained. “Vader is trying his best to kill off that side of him, but there always has to be a little bit of Anakin in there. And that presents itself, and that’s a part of the fun. I’m always thinking about the Anakin aspect of this character.”

For the most part, the Darth Vader we’ve seen on the screen and in comics has been significantly older, much further removed from being a Jedi training under Obi-Wan. Christensen went on to talk about how the series has tried to set apart this specific time in Darth Vader’s life.

“You know, this is the first time we’ve seen Vader sort of chronologically this close to the Anakin Skywalker character, so there are some indications of Anakin in there,” Christensen said. “But for the most part, we’re trying to remain true to what we know and love about this character, and make sure we honor the way he moves and sounds to stay true to that continuity.”

A lot of Anakin’s spiral into Vader took place at the end of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, but Obi-Wan Kenobi is making it clear that his evolution into the villain fans met in 1977 still had a long way to go at that point.

What do you think of Vader’s depiction in Obi-Wan Kenobi so far? Let us know in the comments!