Star Wars: Hayden Christensen Didn't Think He Would Land Role While Auditioning

By Jamie Jirak

Hayden Christensen is best known for playing Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, and last year he returned to the role in the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi. This week, Christensen took part in Variety's "Actors on Actors" series alongside Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Star Wars: Andor star Diego Luna. The duo talked about their history with Star Wars, including their unexpected returns to the franchise. During the chat, they talked about how they landed their roles, and Christensen revealed he didn't think he would end up playing Anakin. 

"I loved Star Wars, and when the audition came around, it was exciting, but it felt just unattainable. I remember meeting George Lucas for the first time and that was thrilling. And then auditioning with Natalie Portman. It was a very long process, but the entire time, I never really thought that it would ever go my way, so I was just enjoying it. Then when I got the phone call to play the part, it was a life-changing thing," Christensen shared. He added of his acting history, "I'd started when I was young. I developed my passion for it studying theater in elementary school. And then I went to a performing arts high school and focused on dramatic studies." 

Luna replied, "That must have been a shock to go from theater to [Star Wars]. And back then, your films were the most technologically advanced." Christensen added, "But there was a similarity there, too, because we were filming in front of blue screens and green screens. It demands a lot of your imagination, and you don't necessarily have all of the real stimuli there to react to. So it wasn't such a leap for me. And I didn't have the experience either, so it wasn't like I was used to working a certain way. That was just what I knew." 

During the conversation, Luna talked about how he landed his role as Cassian Andor. 

"It was the first time such secrecy happened around anything I was going to be part of," Luna explained. "I was asked by my agent to meet someone for something that couldn't be said on the phone. I went into a meeting in a restaurant that was completely empty. There was a guy sitting in the corner with a computer open, and this was Gareth [Edwards], the director. I sat down with him, and it was just us for four hours." 

Related:

He added, "My agent said, 'This might be Star Wars.' I guess she didn't want me to get excited about anything. Gareth explained to me the whole film, and he said at the end, 'I would really like you to play this role.' I said to him, 'But I don't see myself here. I love these films, but how do I fit here? No one has my accent. I've never thought this could be possible.' He basically said, 'Since I saw Y tu mamá también, I thought you could be great for a role like this. I want that kind of tone in the film. I want that realism, that feeling that it's everyday life.' I never thought that a film like Y tu mamá también would get me the chance to be in the world of Star Wars."

Which Star Wars Show Is Being Released Next?

Fan-favorite Star Wars hero Ahsoka Tano returns in the brand new series on Disney+. Rosario Dawson stars in Star Wars: Ahsoka, premiering in August on the streamer. The series picks up after the events of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, in which we saw the former Jedi searching for Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) and helping Luke Skywalker train Grogu. Ahsoka will be joined on her new mission alongside longtime allies Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) and Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) as they attempt to track down Thrawn, who was last seen disappearing to the far reaches of space after a confrontation with Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi). Star Wars: Ahsoka is the latest live-action series from Lucasfilm's creative duo of Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni. Ahsoka is expected to debut in August. 

Trending Now: