Hayden Christensen Says George Lucas Was 'Like A Mentor To Me'

Actor Hayden Christensen is opening up about Star Wars and creator George Lucas.

Christensen first appeared in the second film of the prequel trilogy, "Attack of the Clones," before reprising his role as Anakin Skywalker in "Revenge of the Sith," which witnesses his descent into Darth Vader.

Decades later, Christensen is reprising his role yet again for two Disney+ series: "Obi-Wan Kenobi" and "Ahsoka." In a recent interview with The Guardian, Christensen talked about the incredible impact working with Lucas had on him as a budding actor.

Christensen admitted to the publication that he was always a "big admirer" of George Lucas "even outside of his work on Star Wars."

After he was cast as Anakin Skywalker in May 2000, Christensen revealed that "we were filming a scene in Spain and somehow the local newspaper knew the location that we were going to be at and they printed it." He revealed that the military guard had to be called in to keep back the thousands of fans who had eagerly gathered in the area.

Christensen confessed that his newfound fame was "a lot to adjust to," calling the transition "very abrupt."

"But I was able to distance or detach from that experience because I knew it was about this thing that I was now a part of," he continued. "I didn’t really think of it as being something that was mine."

Christensen said that he developed a lot of respect working with Lucas, saying, "He was very much like a mentor to me and he was so gracious with his time." Christensen explained that they became close to each other's families to the point where Lucas's son feels like a brother to him.

Although Lucas has received a fair amount of criticism for his dialogue, Christensen was quick to defend the veteran director, saying, "George Lucas creates such a unique world where everything is so specific, from the way these characters look and the way that they talk, and I feel like sometimes people lose sight of that and they expect them to speak the same way that we speak – and that’s not what we were going for."

Although Christensen's daughter is now seven years old, he told The Guardian that she still has not seen any Star Wars movies. Although her friends have seen the movies and she's aware of what role he plays in them, Christensen admitted that he's "probably dragging my feet a little bit at this point" when exposing her to a galaxy far, far away.

It makes sense that Christensen would hesitate to show his daughter the films, considering that he was once heavily criticized for his performance in them. However, it seems that he never took the criticism personally.

"I guess the impression that I got from George Lucas was that if they don’t like them, then they don’t ‘get’ it – and that was good enough for me," Hayden recalled.

When asked if he was worried about being negative feedback for his role in the upcoming "Obi-Wan Kenobi" Disney+ series, he admitted, "I mean, it’s all on the table, but you know, that doesn’t get factored into these types of decisions for me."

He said that it was "a no-brainer" to accept an opportunity to reprise the role, calling it "a really exciting opportunity." He added, "When I got the call I was instantly elated ... I was just so excited to get to come back after all these years."

It seems fans are just as eager to welcome Christensen back to a galaxy far, far away. Fans can watch him reprise his role as Darth Vader when "Obi-Wan Kenobi" debuts on Disney+ on Friday, May 27. Christensen will also appear in "Ahsoka," which is scheduled to be released on Disney+ sometime in 2023.