Best Known As: Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
Hayden Christensen plays Padawan Anakin Skywalker in episodes two and three of the Star Wars movie series by George Lucas. (The character of Skywalker goes on to become the villain Darth Vader, the Dark Lord of Sith and apprentice to the evil Emperor Palpatine). Christensen grew up in Toronto, Ontario and started acting in television commercials when he was seven, moving on to soap operas by the age of 13. He has appeared in the feature films In the Mouth of Madness (1995), The Virgin Suicides (1999, with Kirsten Dunst) and Life as a House (2001), and in the FOX TV series Higher Ground (2000).
Career Highlights: Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Shattered Glass, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
First Major Screen Credit: Life as a House (2001)
Biography
Hayden Christensen made headlines in the spring of 2000, when director George Lucas announced that the 19-year-old actor would play the much-coveted role of Anakin Skywalker in Episode II and Episode III of the venerable Star Wars franchise. Born in Vancouver but raised in Toronto, Canada, Christensen became involved with Canadian television productions at a young age and carried his skills over to American TV movies and series in the late '90s. Though he would appear briefly in 1999's The Virgin Suicides for director Sofia Coppola -- a family friend of Lucas' -- it was Christensen's work in the Fox Family Channel's drama series Higher Ground which convinced Lucas to give the actor a reading. Adamant in his desire to find new talent for the role, Lucas passed over such potential adolescent Anakins as Ryan Phillippe, Jonathon Jackson, and even Leonardo DiCaprio in favor of Christensen. It remains to be seen whether the young actor will survive the typecasting that a similarly unknown Mark Hamill suffered some two and a half decades prior, in Episode IV.
Before Episode II made it to the screen, Christensen won accolades -- including a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor -- playing a troubled goth teen in the family melodrama Life as a House. The stage thus set for his blockbuster debut, Christensen would be omnipresent on magazine covers and talk shows in the months leading up to Attack of the Clones' release. The media blitz was not enough, however, to quell some critics' responses to the film and its star, citing Lucas for his simplistic dialogue and singling out Christensen for an impudent, one-note performance. Though the detractors weren't enough to prevent the film from grossing more than 300 million dollars stateside, Episode II still didn't perform to predictions, as both the nascent Spider-Man and Lord of the Rings franchises stole a little luster from Lucas' crown jewel, and heartthrobs the likes of Tobey Maguire, Elijah Wood, and Orlando Bloom quickly eclipsed Christensen's "it"-boy status.
Perhaps feeling the need to stretch his cinematic muscles, Christensen took on the role of a brash young plagiarist in the micro-budgeted Shattered Glass. The true-life tale of journalist Stephen Glass, whose fabricated stories brought shame to the hallowed halls of The New Republic, the film made the festival rounds before its release in the fall of 2003, and Christensen found himself back in the good graces of critics with his enigmatic, cipher-like turn as the duplicitous young writer. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
Christensen was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, the son of Alie, a speechwriter for the heads of large companies, and David Christensen, a computer programmer and communications executive. His father is of Danish descent and his mother has Swedish and Italian ancestry.[1] Christensen has an elder brother and sister, Tove and Hejsa, and a younger sister, Kaylen.[2][3][4] Raised outside Toronto in Thornhill, Ontario, Christensen attended E.J. Sand Public School, Baythorn Public School and Unionville High School in Unionville, Ontario, Canada. He was an athlete in high school, playing hockey competitively and tennis on a provincial level.[5] He spent summers in Long Island with his maternal grandmother, Rose Schwartz,[5] and attended the Actors Studio in New York as well as the Arts York program for drama at his high school. He was "discovered" when his older sister Hejsa, a former trampoline champion, was shopping around for an agent after he landed a role in a Pringles potato chips commercial.[5][6].
While Christensen's critically acclaimed portrayal of a misunderstood teenager in Life as a House (2001) earned him Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations as well as the National Board of Review's award for Breakthrough Performance of the Year,[9][10][11] the performance didn't receive widespread public notice.[8] For his part in the movie, Christensen lost 25 pounds through a special diet.[12] He eventually gained the weight back during the filming for Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.[13][14]
Stock footage of Christensen was used in the controversial 2004 DVD release of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, where he was inserted in place of the actor Sebastian Shaw.[21] This was an unpopular change for many.[22][23] Christensen insists this was done without his knowledge, an act that is confirmed by Lucasfilm itself in the featurette "Return of the Jedi: What has changed?" as seen on the official website to commemorate the 2006 DVDs.[21] In 2004, Christensen appeared as a model in Louis Vuitton's advertising.[24]
Christensen performed a public service announcement for Do Something's Teens for Jeans Campaign in 2008.[35] He was also recently named as the face of Lacoste's newest fragrance, Lacoste Challenge.[36]
^ abStar Wars Trilogy: Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. [DVD]. 20th Century Fox. 2004.
^ Johnson, Derek. "Star Wars fans, DVD, and cultural ownership: an interview with Will Brooker; Interview," Velvet Light Trap, 22 September 2005, pg. 36–44.
^ Ebert, Roger. "Anakin's fans strike back," Chicago Sun-Times, 1 May 2005, Sunday Showcase (section), pg. 3.
