Hayden Christensen thought Leonardo DiCaprio would be Anakin Skywalker
Hayden Christensen may be known for playing Anakin Skywalker now, but he was convinced the iconic role would go to someone else – Leonardo DiCaprio.
I had heard that they had met Leonardo and some other actors,” Christensen, 42, revealed during a Wednesday, February 28, interview with rich. “That just confirmed my thought that the role would go to another actor.
Christensen added that he wanted to play Anakin Skywalker in the film Star Wars prequel, he was so convinced he wouldn’t be cast that he never allowed himself to daydream about the possibility.
“Throughout the whole audition process, I had told myself from day one that I wasn’t going to get the part,” he explained. “It just wasn’t a possibility. And I think that probably helped me a lot, because it freed me in a lot of ways.”
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Before Christensen stepped into Anakin’s shoes, a series of other actors auditioned. Although DiCpario, 49, ultimately felt it wasn’t the right project for him, “I didn’t feel ready to take that plunge at the time,” he said Shortlist in 2015 – other young stars of the 90s, such as Devon Sawa, Ryan Filip, Jacobus Van Der Beek And Paul Walker they all went out for the role.
Christensen was ultimately chosen to play the young Jedi turned villain Darth Vader in the George Lucas franchise, starring in 2002. Episode II: Attack of the Clones alongside Ewan McGregor And Natalie Portman. He reprized the role Episode III: Revenge of the Sithwhich premiered in 2005.
After the first film hit theaters, it received mixed reactions. Christensen confessed that he didn’t see the backlash coming, which included the initial harsh reviews of his acting and dialogue.
“The character was criticized, my performance was criticized, and that part sucked,” he recalls. “I [had] I saw the movie and I loved it. It was everything I wanted and more. And I didn’t understand the discrepancy between the movie I saw and the negativity in some reviews.
He continued, “George Lucas creates such a unique world where everything is so specific, from the way these characters look and the way they talk, and I feel like sometimes people lose sight of that and expect them to speak the same way we speak – and that’s not what we were going for.”
Despite the criticism, Christensen ultimately chose to return for Disney+’s, Obi Wan Kenobi series opposite McGregor, 52, in 2022. He later appeared on the streaming service Ahsokastarring Rosario Dawson.
“When we finished making the prequels, it felt like that was it, and my journey with the character was over,” Christensen said. “So to come back now and do more with Anakin and Darth Vader was a great opportunity. I am very grateful for the work I have been able to do.”
He added, “[It] was a bucket list item I didn’t even know I had. The journey I’ve been on with Star Wars over the last twenty years… it’s been a wild ride, and where we are today is truly meaningful to me.