Star Wars: Hayden Christensen Binge-Watched Clone Wars and Rebels Before Filming Obi-Wan Kenobi

After the conclusion of the prequel trilogy in 2005 with Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, animated series like Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels kept the spirit of the era alive, which is exactly why actor Hayden Christensen consumed those programs to prepare for his return as Darth Vader in Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi. As any Star Wars fans can attest, the ways in which not only Anakin Skywalker, but also Vader’s journey was further explored in those series offered compelling reveals for how Christensen could fully reprise the role in ways that honored both the live-action films and his animated mythology. Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi premieres on Disney+ on May 27th.

“I went back and rewatched all the films,” Christensen recalled to Entertainment Weekly. “And I also got into the animated shows, The Clone Wars and Rebels.”

He continued, “It was interesting … They did a lot with these characters in those shows. And they did further explore the relationship. There was interesting stuff there to learn about. It was great fun getting to go back and re-immerse yourself in this world that just continues to grow and become more and more vast.”

While these remarks will surely spark speculation among fans about whether we could see elements from either of these series be brought to life for live-action, it seems more likely that the actor wanted an overall and comprehensive preparation period before reprising the role, as opposed to diving into specific dynamics. However, with how many episodes of each series there are, his time invested in watching the animated adventures will surely pay off in the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Earlier this year, Christensen reflected on the surreal nature of returning to the role after all these years away from the franchise.

“The whole experience was very surreal. Just the nature of coming back after all this time. It’s such a unique opportunity — one that both Ewan and I were very grateful for,” Christensen shared with Entertainment Weekly. “One of the things I loved so much about working on Star Wars projects is just that shared excitement. That everyone’s real excited to be there. You feel that energy, and that’s a really special thing.” 

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

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