Playing one of the most famous villains in movie history can be a tall order and no one understands that struggle quite like Hayden Christensen. Anakin Skywalker before his transformation into Darth Vader was often a polarizing character in the Star Wars community. When Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith were first released, both movies received negative criticism and for a long time the prequel series was often considered far beneath the original series.
However, times have changed and the young fans who grew up with the prequel series now have a voice on the internet and the prequels have been experiencing a renaissance. It likely started around the time of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, but it's really ramped up with the announcement and premiere of Obi-Wan Kenobi, the series set ten years after Revenge of the Sith and the disastrous Order 66.
Collider caught up with Christensen at Star Wars Celebration to get his thoughts on picking up his character again. Christensen said:
"Playing this character again has been new for me. My overriding thought has just been that it's Anakin underneath the mask and I know the character really well, so that aspect of it was was pretty easy for me. But, I just wanted to make sure that the Vader that we presented is also consistent with everything that we already know and love – the way he moves, and just his general presence. We wanted to get that right obviously."
He was less open on questions about how he would look in his costume, simply saying, "This is such an iconic costume, and I don't want to give anything away, but yeah, the whole experience of playing Vader has been pretty amazing."
The series is set to be six episodes, and it's already captured the hearts of Star Wars fans. During the Lucasfilm Studio Showcase, the entire Celebration Stage audience got on their feet to applaud the arrival of Christensen alongside Ewan McGregor. From a character who was once so lambasted, the warm welcome signals that fans are ready to revisit Christensen's Anakin and see his Darth Vader.
Of course, casting Christensen to play Vader has made some fans suspicious that we might see him in flashbacks. Unfortunately, all Christensen could reply when prompted about this is the same advice we have for eager fans: "We're gonna have to wait and find out."
The first two episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi are streaming now on Disney+.