We Talk To Hayden Christensen About Star Wars, Sequels, & Prequels

Obi-Wan Kenobi is slated to premiere with its first two episodes on Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia starting from 27 May 2022.

The limited six-episode series follows the titular Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi in exile, set 10 years after the events of Star Wars Episode III Revenge Of The Sith. It is executive-produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Michelle Rejwan, Deborah Chow, McGregor and series writer Joby Harold. Deborah Chow is the showrunner and she directed all six episodes.

Courtesy of Disney+ Hotstar Malaysia, we were given the opportunity to interview none other than the former Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and current Dark Lord Of The Sith Darth Vader; Hayden Christensen himself. The interview below has been edited for clarity. In the meantime, you can also check out what Ewan McGregor had to say in our coverage of the recent Obi-Wan Kenobi press conference.

From your other interviews, I know you’ve watched the Star Wars animated shows, and also had to some training. What else did you do to prepare for returning to the role?

Hayden Christensen: I did as much as I could. I just wanted to educate myself as much as possible and of course, the Star Wars storytelling has continued to grow so much so there was a lot for me to catch up on. I really enjoyed it, as a fan myself, the animated work that Dave Filoni did to these other new Star Wars films and TV shows. Love The Mandalorian. I just wanted to re-familiarize myself in preparation for this.

What do you think of the Sequel Trilogy and how do you think the Sequels have affected the legacy of Darth Vader?

Hayden Christensen: I really enjoyed the Sequel Trilogy. I think it was great the way that they honoured this character. I really enjoyed sort of everything they’ve been up to with and it was fun for me to just go back to being a fan, and watch these stories like everybody else.

What were the biggest differences between your experience of filming the Prequel films and filming the Obi-Wan Kenobi series?

Hayden Christensen: It was a completely different experience this time around. You know, in terms of the technology to filming with the stagecraft and being able to work with these volumes to obviously our storyteller. I thought Deborah Chow was an incredible director and I really enjoyed getting to work with her. So, it was a much different experience this time around.

Beside Ewan McGregor, who else from the Prequels would you want to work with again, and why?

Hayden Christensen: You know, I would love to work with all of them again. I got to work with Sam Jackson (Samuel L. Jackson) on a couple of occasions, and that was great fun. We did a movie called Jumper together.

I’d love to work with Ian McDiarmid again. He’s an actor that I have a lot of respect for. I’d also love to work with Natalie (Portman) again.