Hayden's face may not be familiar yet, but it's coming soon to posters, lunch boxes and notebooks near you. George Lucas handpicked the virtually unknown actor over more established stars like Leonardo DiCaprio and Ryan Phillippe to play Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode II--Attack of the Clones. But before Hayden joins the Dark Side, you can catch the 20-year-old Vancouver native's riveting turn as a drug-addled teen in the just-released drama Life As a House.
"I've worked with a lot of new actors, and part of the fun of working with them is that they are all extremely enthusiastic, and they work really hard. Every day Hayden gave us 110 percent, and it shows on the screen. Hayden is young and charming, but at the same time he's got a nice edge to him. He's really strong, and you can see him becoming Darth Vader." --George Lucas
(director, Star Wars: Episode II--Attack of the Clones)
BIRTHDATE: April 19, 1981
SIGN: Aries
DO WE SMELL "KISSING SCENE"? In Episode II his character, Anakin Skywalker, will embark upon a romance with Natalie Portman's character, Queen Amidala
LIGHTSABERS 101: Trained with a fencer so he could get the hang of lightsaber dueling
IF HOLLYWOOD HADN'T COME CALLING... Told InStyle that his dream job would be "architect"
REAL-WORLD RESEARCH: Talked to drug addicts near his Vancouver apartment in order to prepare for his role as a troubled teen in the Fox Family Channel's drama Higher Ground
QUOTE: "He's just the coolest." -- Hayden explaining why Yoda is his favorite Star Wars hero, to Entertainment Weekly