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.

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