Hayden Christensen to play Anakin Skywalker in next Star Wars episode.
Could this blond-haired, brown- eyed heart-throb from Thornhill really be the dark and evil Darth Vader? As of May 12, the answer is yes. It is now official 19-year-old Hayden Christensen will portray Anakin Skywalker, the Jedi knight who turns to the dark side and becomes Darth Vader in the upcoming Star Wars Episodes II and III. Born in Vancouver, but raised in Thornhill, the Unionville High School graduate began his acting career at age seven, appearing in commercials. At age 12, he had a continuing role in the first Canadian television soap opera, Family Passions. Since then, his TV and movie credits include Trapped In A Purple Haze, Higher Ground, Free Fall, Danielle Steel’s No Greater Love, In The Mouth Of Madness, Love And Betrayal: The Mia Farrow Story and Street Law. -He recently starred in his first feature film; The Virgin Suicides, directed by Sofia Coppola, which is currently in theatres. Christensen has also made guest appearances on The Famous Jett Jackson, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Goosebumps and Forever Knight. According to the Star Wars official website, the casting process for Anakin Skywalker began last October. Casting director Robin Gurland met with 442 candidates out of hundreds of submissions. There were no auditions at this point, only meetings, and from this she had to determine who they were as actors and what kind of experiences they had. From these meetings, she narrowed the selection down to 25 and then to four. The finalists met at George Lucas’ Skywalker ranch in Northern California for a screen test with Natalie Portman, who portrays Queen Arnidala.
Decision Difficult
Returning cast members also include Ewan McGregor, Ahmed Best and Samuel L. Jackson. “The final decision was a difficult one because all four candidates were so talented,” said Gurland on the website. “I like the idea of a Canadian playing Anakin,” said self-proclaimed Star Wars junkie Jake Bums of Unionville. “I don’t really know too much about Hayden Christensen, but if George (Lucas) has faith in him, then so do I.” Unionville High School staff refused to speak to the media, at Christensen’s parents’ request. His Los Angeles-based agent was also unavailable for comment. Filming begins in June in Australia. Episode II is expected to be released in 2002, with Episode III due out in 2005. Besides acting, Christensen is also an all-round athlete. He has played triple A hockey, football, competitive beach paddle tennis and also finds time to skateboard and rollerblade.
Source: The Liberal