Hayden Christensen defends the Star Wars prequels' dialogue
“George Lucas creates such a unique world where everything is so specific"
Ahead of Obi-Wan Kenobi's release, Hayden Christensen has defended the campy dialogue in the Star Wars prequels.
In an interview with The Guardian, Christensen came to George Lucas's defense in regards to the arguably strange choices of dialogue given to the characters in the prequel trilogy.
“George Lucas creates such a unique world where everything is so specific, from the way these characters look and the way that they talk," the actor said. "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.”
Despite initially receiving criticism for his portrayal, Christensen still jumped at the opportunity to reprise his role as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka. “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," He explained. “It was a no-brainer. In a heartbeat. When I got the call, I was instantly elated...I was just so excited to get to come back after all these years.”
Obi-Wan Kenobi takes place 10 years after the events of Revenge of the Sith and follows Obi-Wan's life after defeating his friend-turned-foe Anakin Skywalker. Though Obi-Wan is tasked with watching over young Luke Skywalker, things won't stay peaceful for long: Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy has promised the "rematch of the century" between Obi-Wan and Anakin.
Obi-Wan Kenobi debuts May 27 exclusively on Disney Plus. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows for everything else coming soon from the galaxy far, far away. For more on Obi-Wan Kenobi, see McGregor and Christensen on their favorite memories from filming the show.
Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter
Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox
Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.