Star Wars: Hayden Christensen and Diego Luna Compare George Lucas to Andor's Tony Gilroy

Diego Luna and Hayden Christensen sat down together for Variety's "Actors on Actors" series this week, and they discussed all things Star Wars. When Christensen starred in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, he probably didn't know he would be one of the last people to be directed by Star Wars creator George Lucas. There have been many Star Wars films and television shows since the prequels came to an end in 2005, but Lucas has taken a back seat in the galaxy far, far away. Big names such as J.J. Abrams, Rian Johnson, and Ron Howard have since helmed Star Wars films, and the Star Wars shows on Disney+ are run by Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, and more. As for Luna, the actor first joined the franchise in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story back in 2016, which was helmed by Gareth Edwards and co-written by Tony Gilroy, who now serves as the showrunner of the prequel series, Star Wars: Andor. During their chat, Christensen talked about working with Lucas and Luna compared the experience to his time working with Gilroy.

"George Lucas subverted our expectations and understanding of this character, when he went back to Episode I and introduced him as this very sweet young kid who just had a lot of promise and potential," Christensen said when asked about Darth Vader's history. "He mapped out a very compelling character arc that was hopefully somewhat sympathetic. 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."

Luna added, "Yeah, I like that. I connect that with what Tony Gilroy did with Andor, this idea of having to tell a story backwards. We have an opportunity to make sure this character comes from a past that you would never imagine." Luna explained earlier in the conversation, "Tony Gilroy was very specific, always. Every time you had to explain too long what you wanted to do, he would be like, 'There's no room for that. It has to be simple. It has to be easy. It has to be real.' It was a constant reminder every day. If it started to feel imposed or weird or from 'a galaxy far, far away,' then we were doing the wrong thing."

Tony Gilroy on Getting a Call From George Lucas:

Lucas may not be directing Star Wars projects anymore, but he is still paying attention to the world he created. Before Gilroy was in charge of Andor, he co-write Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which was well-received by critics, fans, and Lucas. 

"George Lucas called me after Rogue, I had a 45-minute conversation with him after he saw Rogue, and that's the only time I've ever spoken to him. He loved it. He really did. He had a lot of things to say that I... It was like a call from the president," Gilroy shared in a recent interview with Deadline. 

For now, the second season of Star Wars: Andor is slated to premiere in August 2024 on Disney+.