Inside the Mind of Hayden Christensen: Joining Star Wars and Meeting George Lucas

Hayden Christensen reflects on his journey of joining the Star Wars franchise as a 19-year-old actor, portraying the character of Anakin Skywalker in Episode II - Attack of the Clones. In a recent interview with Diego Luna for Variety, he recollects the daunting experience of auditioning for the role and meeting the legendary George Lucas. His background in theater proved to be useful preparation for his role in the prequel trilogy, which has been a significant part of his life and has allowed him to form a strong bond with co-star Ewan McGregor, as well as the devoted Star Wars fandom.

Christensen initially felt like the role of Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars was unattainable, despite his love for the franchise. He vividly recalls meeting George Lucas for the first time and auditioning alongside Natalie Portman. Although the audition process was long, he enjoyed the experience and never expected to actually get the part. However, when he received the life-changing phone call, he realized he had underestimated himself. Casting director Robin Gurland had looked at around 1,500 actors for the role and knew Christensen was the right choice as soon as he walked in the door.

Hayden Christensen's Theater Background Made Him The Perfect Anakin Skywalker

Working on Star Wars can be a daunting task for actors due to the heavy reliance on special effects, which was particularly challenging during George Lucas' prequel trilogy due to the extensive use of CGI environments. However, Hayden Christensen's background in theater proved to be an advantage in this setting, as it closely mirrored the imaginative nature of filming in front of blue and green screens. In his own words, "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."

Christensen's suitability for the role of Anakin Skywalker was perhaps due to his unique approach to acting. While many actors prefer performing on location, relying on tangible stimuli to inform their performance, Christensen was able to thrive in an artificial environment that required a vivid imagination. This skill was particularly valuable in his work on the CGI-heavy prequels, where he seamlessly interacted with entirely imaginary environments. His success in Star Wars served as a launching pad for his career, providing a solid foundation upon which he has continued to build.