STAR WARS: Hayden Christensen On How Perception Of The Prequels Has Changed And THAT Jedi Temple Scene

STAR WARS: Hayden Christensen On How Perception Of The Prequels Has Changed And THAT Jedi Temple Scene

Hayden Christensen has opened up on how the perception of George Lucas' Star Wars prequels has changed in recent years, while also revealing new details about the iconic scene set in the Jedi Temple...

By JoshWilding - Feb 11, 2024 11:02 AM EST
Filed Under: Star Wars
Source: Empire (via SFFGazette.com)

2024 marks the 25th anniversary of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, the movie which kicked off George Lucas' divisive prequel trilogy. In recent years, all of those have been embraced by fans, leading to the negativity surrounding them being replaced by a sense of nostalgia and, dare we say it, love. 

Don't believe us? Well, a quick look on social media at the buzz surrounding The Phantom Menace's upcoming re-release is vastly different to what happened when the movie got a 3D re-release in 2012.

Empire Online (via SFFGazette.com) recently caught up with Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader actor Hayden Christensen to get his thoughts on the time he spent in this Galaxy Far, Far Away as a lead star in both Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith

"It's been a remarkable experience. And just a very heartwarming one," he says. "The journey that I’ve been on with Star Wars over the last 20 plus years... it’s been a wild ride, and where we’re at now is really meaningful to me."

"I think that those movies have held up well over time," Christensen added, addressing the initial backlash from longtime fans. "It feels like vindication for the work that we did. Everyone that worked on those movies thought that we were part of something special. We all wanted to do our very best work, and we cared a lot about it. And so to see the response from the fans now, it’s very cool."

Since finally becoming Vader in 2005's Revenge of the Sith, the actor has returned to the Star Wars franchise for standout appearances in Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka. Looking back at the experience, he opened up on what advice he'd now share with his younger self having been through that journey. 

"Even though I was a bit overwhelmed, I was also a confident young man, and I wanted to make my mark. But I guess if I were to have some advice for me during that general time in my life, it would be: 'Patience,'" he muses. "Because my journey with the character and with Star Wars has at times been a bumpy one...but I’m in a good place with it now. And so that’s why I say patience."

Finally, Christensen admitted how surreal it's been to meet younger fans who adore the man who, uh, slaughtered a temple full of Jedi younglings almost two decades ago. 

"There was a lot of talk about us doing that scene, and I love that George did it. It was a bold move. And it’s shocking," he admits. "Kids seem to forget about that scene when they meet me! There’s not any fear or intimidation. They’re just excited to meet Anakin."

Christensen also recreated (well, sort of) The Phantom Menace's iconic poster. Check that photo out in the X post below shared by Empire

STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN & GROGU Casts Jeremy Allen White... As Jabba The Hutt's Son!
Related:

STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN & GROGU Casts Jeremy Allen White... As Jabba The Hutt's Son!

STAR WARS: Dave Filoni Shares Big THE MANDALORIAN & GROGU Update And Teases AHSOKA Season 2 Plans
Recommended For You:

STAR WARS: Dave Filoni Shares Big THE MANDALORIAN & GROGU Update And Teases AHSOKA Season 2 Plans

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.

This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. ComicBookMovie.com will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please CONTACT US for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. CLICK HERE to learn more about our copyright and trademark policies.

Note that ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

ProfessorWhy
ProfessorWhy - 2/11/2024, 11:44 AM
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!
AllsGood
AllsGood - 2/11/2024, 11:50 AM
whynot
whynot - 2/11/2024, 11:59 AM
First one was crap (except Darth Maul)
2nd was crap (except Darth Tyranus)
3rd was pretty good from start to finish but not as good as any of the OT IMO

I’ll give the prequels 1 thing they had excellent villians
marvel72
marvel72 - 2/11/2024, 3:32 PM
@whynot - I agree 100%.I did like Count Doku Vs Yoda in episode 2.
Episode 3 is the best of the prequels.
whynot
whynot - 2/11/2024, 3:50 PM
@marvel72 - absolutely! And I love that they fleshed out Tyranus in novelization aswell. I’ll also add that Liam Neeson was a highlight of that first movie for me. He’s just one of those actors that can perform even with the worst possible dialogue lol episode 3 was definitely the best of the prequels. I will say one thing though. I thought Anakins turn was way too fast. He went from that’s not the Jedi way to murdering younglings in the next scene. Also I feel like they thought they needed to setup for episode 4 a little too much. With the tease of the Death Star. I always thought things were a bit rushed in episode 3.
Itwasme
Itwasme - 2/11/2024, 12:00 PM
There's a lesson is the change in sentiment and don't be surprised if after time the next generation changes the sentiment of the new trilogy. When we see things as kids we tend to ignore the issues and are much more willing to accept it as it is. Empire is another example of this. It happens over and over. I think it's why people are so keen to take childhood things so seriously because to them as kids it was - no matter how goofy it is.

This always gave me a chuckle.
Forthas
Forthas - 2/11/2024, 12:38 PM
I am not so sure perceptions have changed. I think people were more receptive to it when they first came out. Then people really began to sour on it. It seems like perception has improved but comparatively. In other words it is more consistent with Star Wars than the last two films. But they are still bad films and I think people still believe that.
Order66
Order66 - 2/11/2024, 2:32 PM
It was the right thing to do.
LSHF
LSHF - 2/11/2024, 3:41 PM
@Order66 - Well, you "would" say that, as you are the one who him to do it!
Himura
Himura - 2/11/2024, 5:17 PM
I like how he's doing press for the 25th anniversary of TPM even though he isnt in it
AvalonX
AvalonX - 2/11/2024, 6:51 PM
Time hasn't changed much for me. I think the Clone Wars helped flesh Anakin out who honestly just wined for almost 3 movies. He wasn't very likeable. I think the triology would have come off better if he condensed parts 1 and 2. We didnt need an entire movie of that. I mean, I get what Lucas was thinking. He has to set up the world, the politics and introduce Anakin. The second suffers from the same thing. Its basically establishing the love story but its too much. Lucas once said he knew the fans wanted to see Vader cutting down Jedi but that isnt the story he wanted to tell. I personally would have liked to see more of Anakin/Vader which seemed to be so quick before he got put in the suit. I think the movie would have benefited from Anakin being the one to hunt the Masters down himself. This would have given the film this impending doom instead of order 66 doing it in a minute or so.

ROTS is good but a lot of missed opportunity to flesh out who Vader is as opposed to Anakin.
WarMonkey
WarMonkey - 2/12/2024, 8:07 AM
I've LOVED the prequels since I 1st saw TPM in the theater so it's nice to finally have many others appreciate what they tried to do. The execution was never great, except ROTS imo, but the story, characters, and world building are second to none.

Please log in to post comments.

Don't have an account?
Please Register.

View Recorder