Obi-Wan Kenobi: Hayden Christensen Says Darth Vader Is “Trying to Bury Anakin”

Obi-Wan Kenobi is finally premiering on Disney+ this Friday, and Ewan McGregor isn’t the only Star Wars prequels star who is set to return. Hayden Christensen will be reprising his role as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, and the actor has hinted that the iconic character is going through some big changes. The new series takes place ten years after Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and nine years before the original Star Wars, but Christensen says Vader is still trying to bury his Anakin side 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.”

In another recent interview, Christensen teased another showdown between Vader and Obi-Wan.

“Vader is at a pivotal time in his life. He’s spent ten years now sort of imprisoned in this suit and in his new life, and how all of that has affected him. There’s a lot of great character exploration there,” Christensen said in an interview with JOE.ie. “I don’t want to give anything away, but there’s really sort of a struggle of identity with Vader. I think that’s at the core of who he is. And in this, we get to explore that.” 

Earlier this year, McGregor spoke to Forbes and teased flashback scenes between Obi-Wan and Anakin.

“I think it’s no secret that Hayden Christensen comes back and we got to play scenes together again as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker and it was just fantastic to work with him again,” McGregor shared. “I’m not going to give away anything else about the storyline, only I think it’s really going to satisfy Star Wars fans. I always felt there was a story between Episode III where I finished playing Obi-Wan in the movies and Episode IV where Alec Guinness is Obi-Wan Kenobi. The [Obi-Wan Kenobi series] writers and [director Deborah Chow] and I and everyone, I think we crafted or they crafted a very fine storyline. I think people are going to like it.”

Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi debuts on Disney+ on May 27th.