Hayden Christensen was in attendance at the Star Wars Celebration held in London over the long Easter weekend, an occasion that allowed him to champion all things Star Wars and also discuss his own experience with the franchise. The audience was happy to see the Anakin Skywalker actor and cheered him on as Christensen allowed the emotions of the celebration to get to him.
Christensen first made his way into the Star Wars universe back in 2000 when he was announced to be playing the role of Anakin Skywalker, who fans already knew would transform into the iconic Darth Vader. Aged only 19 years old, Christensen stepped into a world that already had such deeply devoted fans and the result was not exactly favorable.
There were many complaints lobbed at the prequel, including more than a few for Christensen’s performance as Anakin. Some fans called it wooden and uncompelling, as the role earned the actor a Razzie award for worst supporting actor in Revenge of the Sith. In more recent years, public opinion has shifted as many pointed out that the substandard writing and lackluster direction should shoulder much of the blame.
After the negativity that surrounded his role as Anakin, Christensen removed himself somewhat from Hollywood (though not entirely) and bought himself a ranch to which he could retreat from a life in the limelight. That was until the director of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Deborah Chow went to meet with Christensen on his ranch in order to bring him back into the Star Wars universe to reprise his role as Darth Vader.
It was in that installment that Christensen got his time to shine, meaning that his arrival at the Star Wars Celebration was greeted with cheers of appreciation from the massive audience as he made his way to talk with the host. Cheers and chanting went on for quite some time, with the actor starting to look more and more emotional the longer it lasted. As the din died down Christensen responded, “Man, you guys sure know how to make a guy feel good folks,” which only set them off again.
The actor was visibly emotional, with his eyes appearing to tear up as members of the crowd shouted out “We love you Hayden!” to which Christensen responded, “You’re making me emotional” whilst attempting to retain composure. His return to the franchise almost 20 years on from the prequels has allowed the actor to redeem himself and the character in the eyes of fans who were thrilled to see him in person at the event.