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At this point it seems like basically everyone knows what happens in the first two Star Wars trilogies. In fact, unless you caught the film's during their original runs, you probably knew that Darth Vader was Luke Skywalker's father before you ever actually saw The Empire Strikes Back. It's just one of those stories that is part of our cultural memory. Yet, there had to be a point in time before you knew how Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader, and apparently that's the point where Hayden Christensen's daughter currently is. It turns out that she currently has no idea that her dad played Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels, and her mom is in no hurry to change that.
Rachel Bilson, who has a 6-year-old daughter with Hayden Christensen, recently appeared on the Betches Moms podcast where she discussed the trials of fame and being a mother. She also explained that so far the young girl doesn't really have a handle on what it is her parents do for a living. The girl seems to have a general idea of what Star Wars and acting is, even at six, but she's never actually seen the popular films, and thus, has no understanding of the role her father plays in those films. Bilson explained...
I think she knows he was in Star Wars, but she has no idea what that even means, because she hasn't seen anything. And thank God, because he kills children, so let's keep that from her until she's 80. She has an idea, but not really. I'd like to keep it that way.
While all parents are going to look at things a little differently, the Star Wars prequels, especially The Revenge of the Sith, can get pretty dark, and six is probably a bit young to dive in and watch them anyway. The fact that Anakin Skywalker murders a bunch of children is pretty terrible, and one of those moments that sticks with you after you've seen the film. It's a scene that everybody remembers, and watching it when your dad is the one in the scene doing the deed has to give it added weight.
Unfortunately for Rachel Bilson, keeping the truth from the young girl much longer likely isn't going to be in the cards. Even if she doesn't sit down to watch the prequel trilogy with her dad anytime soon, others her age will, and you know somebody is going to ask her about Hayden Christensen killing kids in that movie. She'll know, even if she doesn't see it.
Being able to show my daughter all my favorite movies, Star Wars included, is one thing I'm really looking forward to, but waiting until she's old enough for some of them is going to be a trial. I'm certainly not going to show her Star Wars anytime soon, as she's even younger than Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen's daughter, but she'll be watching them as soon as is possible, perhaps earlier than she should just because I don't want to wait.
