Hayden Christensen reveals why he didn't speak to George Lucas before returning as Darth Vader
Hayden Christensen is donning that iconic black helmet once again for Obi-Wan Kenobi, returning as Darth Vader after he last played the character way back in 2005. The new series marks the third time the actor has played Anakin Skywalker (barring a brief voice cameo in 2019's The Rise of Skywalker), following on from Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. Both of those prequel films were directed by Star Wars creator George Lucas, but in the new Disney Plus show, Deborah Chow is at the helm.
We sat down with Christensen and asked whether he's been in touch with Lucas about the series or his return as Vader. "I have not, no," he tells Total Film. As for why, though, that all comes down to Chow.
"I really felt like this was Deborah Chow's story, and I really just wanted to follow her lead on this one," Christensen continues. "I think what she's done here is just incredibly exciting." Before Obi-Wan Kenobi, Chow helmed two episodes of The Mandalorian, so this isn't her first foray into the galaxy far, far away.
But, while Christensen didn't talk to Lucas before filming the show, he did explore his character's appearances outside of the live-action movies, including the animated series. "They did a lot with these characters in that show – Clone Wars and Rebels," the actor explains. "And it's just useful information to have. So I went back, and I watched all that stuff, I read some of the comics, and I just tried to immerse myself as much as I could."
Despite how much time has passed since Christensen last wielded a lightsaber, he had no trouble stepping into Anakin's shoes again. "It came back very naturally for me," he says. "This is a character that obviously I spent a lot of time with in the past when we were
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