Hayden Christensen Says Returning to Play Darth Vader After 17 Years Is ‘Surreal’ But ‘Natural’

Hayden Christensen has called it “a great honor” to be able to wear the Darth Vader suit again in the upcoming Disney Plus series Obi-Wan Kenobi, describing the experience as “surreal” and a “unique opportunity.”

It has been nearly two decades since Christensen first donned the infamous villain’s suit in the climax of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, but the actor is excited to reprise the role once more.

“It’s a great honor to get to put that suit on,” Christensen told EW. “And I was just really excited to get to come in and play Darth Vader at this point in the timeline because it did feel like a natural continuation of your journey with the character. And that was very meaningful for me.”

Christensen also seems happy to be returning during a period when interest in the Star Wars franchise has been renewed. “One of the things I loved so much about working on Star Wars projects is just that shared excitement,” he said. “That everyone’s real excited to be there. You feel that energy, and that’s a really special thing.”

Obi-Wan Kenobi picks up ten years after Revenge of the Sith and follows the titular character – played once again by Ewan McGregor – during his period of exile on Tatooine, where he finds himself watching over a young Luke Skywalker.

With so many returning characters and a focus on a formative period in the Star Wars canon, Christensen knows there’s a lot of questions surrounding the new show. He refused to offer much in the way of important details, however.

“I don’t know what I can share in terms of behind-the-scenes type stuff because I don’t think they want me saying too much. But I can tell you the first time that I saw Ewan as Obi-Wan again, that was a very special moment for me and one that I’ll remember for a very, very long time,” Christensen said.

The first episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi was originally set to debut on May 25, but Disney has since pushed the release back two days. It will now premiere as a two-episode launch on May 27.

Billy Givens is a freelance writer at IGN.

Author: Kat Bailey. [Source Link (*), IGN All]

Shop with us!