By George & Josh Bate
The Chosen One himself Hayden Christensen was a special guest at this weekend’s FAN EXPO New Orleans, during which the fan-favorite Star Wars alum revealed a number of interesting things about a galaxy far, far away.
Here are 6 things we learned from Hayden Christensen’s panel at FAN EXPO New Orleans.
1. Robert DeNiro visited the set of Revenge of the Sith
Hayden Christensen revealed that Academy Award winner Robert DeNiro visited the set of Revenge of the Sith during the filming of Obi Wan and Anakin’s duel. “Robert DeNiro showed up to set,” Christensen recounted. “I remember standing with Ewan and Ewan’s like, ‘Is that Robert DeNiro?’ So we’re excited he’s there and then he walked over and he was very friendly. I remember I would do a lot of push ups before each take to get my heart rate up and a little exhaustion going and he said, ‘You know, I see you doing push ups before the takes. I do that too.’ That felt good.“
This was not DeNiro’s first brush with Star Wars, however. The Raging Bull actor was reportedly offered the role of Han Solo in the original film but turned it down.
2. Anakin’s tear was improvised
One of the most quietly powerful scenes in Revenge of the Sith could have felt entirely different. After Matthew Stover revealed that Anakin’s contemplation scene in the Jedi Temple was not in the original script, Christensen has now disclosed that he improvised the tear that runs down his cheek.
“The tear was not a scripted, planned thing,” Christensen stated. “That just kind of came out. George [Lucas] was like, ‘I like that. Let’s keep that.’”
3. Hayden Christensen injured Ian McDiarmid during filming
While filming the scene aboard the Invisible Hand in which Anakin breaks Palpatine free of his constraints, Hayden Christensen accidentally injured his co-star Ian McDiarmid.
“I just got a little too close to him and I ended up cutting him right in the forehead, right between the eyes,” Christensen revealed. “Very very gnarly place to hit.”
4. Hayden Christensen knows about prequel memes!
If you’ve been on the internet at all in the past 10 years, you have almost certainly come across a prequel meme or two. Well, so has Hayden Christensen. During the panel, the Anakin Skywalker actor expressed his affinity for memes about the prequel trilogy.
“There’s that scene that gets a lot of memes when we’re in the grassy field on Naboo,” Christensen stated. “Some great memes.”
5. Anakin’s hair in Revenge of the Sith is fake
Hate to burst anyone’s bubble, but Anakin’s luscious locks in Episode III are not real. Hayden Christensen noted during the panel that he got to keep one of the wigs he wore for the film. “I kept one of the wigs from Episode III. Full disclosure, that’s not my real hair.”
6. Hayden’s favorite scenes to film are some of Anakin’s darkest
Across four films (yes, we’re including the end of Return of the Jedi and the vocal cameo in The Rise of Skywalker) and two television shows, Hayden Christensen has had his fair share of scenes as Anakin and Darth Vader. But the Canadian actor’s favorite scenes to film were the ones in which Anakin slowly lost himself to his inner darkness.
“Honestly what I enjoyed the most is getting to make that transition [from light to dark] and I guess showing some of that loss of innocence,” Christensen reflected. “There are very specific moments in Episode II and III where you see that innocence taken away from him. Like when his mother dies and that shot of him carrying his mother in his arms. There’s just a lot going on in Anakin’s head at that moment. Or in Episode III when he goes and talks to Yoda and tells Yoda about his concerns and is asking for advice and Yoda’s just like, ‘Tough luck, kid.’”
Watch the full panel from FAN EXPO New Orleans here.