Hayden Christensen’s career could fall apart by 2004, and he’d still make the Hollywood A-list because the Force is with him.
As the next Anakin Skywalker (and future Darth Vader) in Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones and Episode III, the Toronto-based actor earned hot-property status and secured himself a place in sci-fi film history when he was handpicked by George Lucas over more than 400 hopefuls (including Leonardo DiCaprio).
“I couldn’t really come to terms with why he chose me, other than the fact that I look like the kid,” Christensen, 20, says. “You just have to focus on the work and trust that he knew what he was doing. I recognize that it’s a big deal, and there is a constant pressure that I won’t live up to the expectation.”
Episode II Attack of the Clones begins ten years after the events of The Phantom Menace. Not only has the galaxy undergone significant changes, but so have our familiar heroes Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman) and Anakin Skywalker (Christensen) as they are thrown together again for the first time since the Trade Federation invasion of Naboo. As relationships form and powerful forces collide, these heroes face choices that will impact not only their own fates, but the destiny of the Republic.
To avoid Mark Hamill-style stereotyping, the blue-eyed, clean-cut, big-grinned Christensen took on a darker role as Kevin Kline’s estranged son in Life as a House immediately after filming Episode II — Attack of the Clones.
To get into drug-addled character, Christensen dyed his blond hair black, painted his fingernails, wore blue eye shadow and shed 25 pounds on a water-vitamins-salad diet. The risk earned him Best Supporting Actor nominations from the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild.
Considering his passion for the arts, it’s hard to imagine Christensen once dreamed of playing professional hockey and (instead of wielding a light saber) developed his backhand well enough to score a college tennis scholarship. When he tagged along with his sister to meet with an agent, they were both signed up, and he popped up in features like In The Mouth of Madness, Strike! and The Virgin Suicides.
But Christensen really started to get attention when he landed a regular role on the Fox series Higher Ground.
Two years later, he still hasn’t come to terms with impending fame. After much resistance, he recently got a Los Angeles apartment and started a production company with his brother Tove.
“People keep trying to prepare me for what’s ahead, and I try to take it as it comes and be cool, ” he quips.
Distributed by Warner Bros., Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones is a Twentieth Century Fox film opening in Metro Manila on May 16