Hayden Christensen Binge-Watched Star Wars Television To Prepare For Obi-Wan Kenobi
The premiere of the Disney+ series "Obi-Wan Kenobi" is less than two months away, and not only are we going to see Ewan McGregor return to the role of Obi-Wan, which he played in the "Star Wars" prequel films, but we're getting Hayden Christensen back as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. He'll also appear in the "Ahsoka" series. Just in case you haven't watched the animated series "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" or "Star Wars Rebels," Anakin took on Ahsoka Tano as his Padawan learner.
It's been 17 years since Christensen played the role of Anakin Skywalker. Though he became Darth Vader at the end of "Episode III: Revenge of the Sith," it's still Anakin under that mask. Obi-Wan may have told Luke Skywalker in "A New Hope" that "he's more machine now than man," but we know that Luke was able to redeem him. (I will not apologize for spoilers for a film that came out so many decades ago.)
Though we don't know if he'll appear only in his Darth Vader suit in the present day, or if we'll see him as Anakin in flashbacks, we do know that he's preparing by watching everything "Star Wars," according to an interview Christensen had with EW.
We "Star Wars" fans may have been deep in the lore and watching all the films and TV series non-stop (just me?), but it would make sense that the people involved with the prequels might have wanted a break. There are those fans out there who aren't as devoted to the prequel films as others, and the backlash would certainly have made me disconnect from the fandom for a bit. Either way, jumping back in did get both McGregor and Christensen binging "Star Wars" for research — research that they just happened to be a part of. While McGregor told the site that he watched all three trilogies to get back into the (lightsaber) swing of things, Christensen went further.
The dark side of the Force is with him
Not only did he tell EW that he rewatched all the films, he said, "And I also got into the animated shows, 'The Clone Wars,' and 'Rebels.'" That's a big deal, first because there are a whole lot of episodes — which you can watch on Disney+ — but also because there is so much Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka content in there. It also helps give a lot more context to the rest of the "Star Wars" universe.
Christensen obviously thinks so as well. He said:
"It was interesting. They did a lot with these characters in those shows. And they did further explore the relationship. There was interesting stuff there to learn about. It was great fun getting to go back and re-immerse yourself in this world that just continues to grow and become more and more vast."
It warms my heart to know that the guy who played a young Anakin appreciates these series. The animated shows changed my feelings about his work in the prequels and my thoughts on the character, and I know that's the same for so very many fans.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi" will premiere on May 27, 2022 on Disney+.