Hayden Christensen Teases Darth Vader vs. Obi-Wan Kenobi: “It’s a Personal Mission for Him”

It’s the revenge of the Sith when Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen) and his former friend and Jedi master Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) meet again in Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi. Ten years after Anakin Skywalker succumbed to the dark side and turned against the Jedi, pledging to the teachings of Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) to learn the power to spare the ill-fated Padmé (Natalie Portman) from death, the Sith Lord suffers an identity crisis. Ahead of the rematch of the century between learner and master, Christensen characterized Vader’s mentality when he clashes with Obi-Wan a decade after their fateful duel in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.

“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.” 

Unbeknownst to the Dark Lord, Obi-Wan has exiled himself to sandy Tatooine as the hermit guardian of the 10-year-old Luke Skywalker (Grant Feely). Set nine years before the events of A New Hope in the era of the Empire, Vader and the Inquisitors — the terrifying trio of Reva Sevander (Moses Ingram), the Fifth Brother (Sung Kang), and the commanding Grand Inquisitor (Rupert Friend) — are hunting down the Jedi to near-extinction. 

“His pursuit of the Jedi and trying to find Obi-Wan Kenobi, it’s a personal mission for him,” Christensen noted of Darth Vader’s quest for revenge in Obi-Wan Kenobi. “I’m excited for people to see it.”  

Starring Ewan McGregor, Moses Ingram, Rupert Friend, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Indira Varma, Sung Kang, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Benny Safdie, Kumail Nanjiani, and Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader, the first two episodes of Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi are streaming May 27 on Disney+.