If you can believe it, this May marks 25 years since the Star Wars prequel film trilogy began. At the time, Hollywood hadn’t seen a movie set in a galaxy far, far away in almost two decades when the original trilogy ended with Return of the Jedi in 1983. At the center of the trilogy was, of course, Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker in Episodes II and III. After recently returning to the role in Obi-Wan Kenobi and reprising it again as a member of the Ahsoka cast, Christensen spoke about how he feels “vindication” these days in regard to his original work as the iconic character.
While it seemed for many years the prequel trilogy was the butt of many jokes regarding the Star Wars franchise, more and more people are looking at those movies with fondness. That's a major reason why Hayden Christensen was welcomed back to the franchise with open arms. On the heels of his well-received performances on the recent shows, here’s what he had to say about his thoughts on the prequels now:
I think that those movies have held up well over time. It feels like vindication for the work that we did. Everyone that worked on those movies thought that we were part of something special. We all wanted to do our very best work, and we cared a lot about it. And so to see the response from the fans now, it’s very cool.
Hayden Christensen is truly feeling the love nowadays from Star Wars fans regarding his place in the franchise! While speaking to Empire, he also shared that he thinks of his journey in the fictional world as both “remarkable” and “very heartwarming.” While he admits there was a time when the ride has “been a bumpy one,” he’s in a “good place with it now.”
During the interview, the Shattered Glass star -- who recently reunited with Ewan McGregor -- also talked about his work reaching a new generation of fans, especially now that one can watch Anakin Skywalker’s turn to the Dark Side along with his recent appearances on Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka using a Disney+ subscription. While one might think kids would steer clear of the face behind the character who murdered Jedi younglings in Revenge of the Sith, that’s not the case. In the star's words:
There was a lot of talk about us doing that scene, and I love that George did it. It was a bold move. And it’s shocking. Kids seem to forget about that scene when they meet me! There’s not any fear or intimidation. They’re just excited to meet Anakin.
Previously, Hayden Christensen shared that doing new SW projects without George Lucas initially made him feel like he was “cheating on him a little bit." But he also realizes the franchise is in a “different time” and feels excited over the notion that so many new storytellers are coming into the fold to keep the universe thriving. When it comes to upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows, there’s plenty to be excited about, and one hopes that Christensen will be a part of it somehow.
While we don’t know if Anakin Skywalker will show up in future Star Wars stories, it’s great to hear the actor feels “vindication” for his years of work in the franchise as one of the most iconic villains of all time.
