Hayden literally studied the role so well. He knew how Anakin acted. He even did most of his stunts! He was committed and brilliant. Really sad a lot of people did not see that. I am happy he is getting more appreciated now!!!
@@Eyeofthetiger69 “What have I done?!” “You underestimate my power!” “NOOOOOOOO!” It’s not better. You are confusing his attempt to express different emotions in this episode and acting _better._
But he's not the perfect casting. Don't get me wrong I think he did fine with the dreadful dialogue he was given but there definitely could have been better casting he was so monotone all the time
+ThatPixelatedGamer Hayden was a much more physical actor in my opinion. In the scenes when he could use gestures he was amazing, however in the pure dialogue scenes he really suffered in a way the other actors didn't (as much). Overall I think he was a great choice, scenes like "I hate you!" and the "you will not take her from me!" really showed his potential. He just gets a lot of grief for the "I don't like sand" part which, let's face it, even the best actors couldn't have salvaged that into something good, they could have just made it not awful.
Hayden did a fantastic job as Anakin. No one could have portrayed him better in his range of existence: awkward teen, powerful Jedi, charming younger brother figure, desperately terrified husband, proud father, lost and frightened villain, and horrifyingly dark Sith. His work on these movies and especially the last one is admirable.
I will defend Hayden as Anakin until the day I die. He was perfect! Anakin is of course going to be dreadfully awkward in his dialogue and behvaiour with Padme. He is not meant to be flirting with a woman- he is not even meant to be attracted to her. Of course he will be terribly awkward and wooden. I think the transformation between Episodes II and III is so indicative of the growth of Anakin and his movement away from the Jedi and towards something else.
In ATTC it made sense His voice acting was terrible and his looks were alright. In revenge of the Sith he did amazing boice acting was a bit ehh, but what would starwars be without ehh dialouge. His looks in ROTS are amazing like he is the character.
Yes, as much as he is a good actor, he also has his fair share of awful acting e.g. "I don't like sand". Honesty I think that a lot of his acting is shunned due to Lucas' awful dialogue.
@Ashley Yoon meh they're not that bad. just attack of the clones. phantom menace just gives me a good laugh from all the memes and revenge of the sith is actually my favorite star wars movie. Disney's star wars is what I personally despise. no good memes, and no good content.
@Ashley Yoon yeah you can't take PM too seriously, it's easier to watch with a friend haha. I feel like a lot of the problems with these films (minus the cgi) were solved in the revenge of the sith though
It’s crazy how an innocent 9 year old boy would eventually become a Sith lord, a protagonist turned antagonist, yet still the face of the entire franchise. The Star Wars lore and story is just amazing to me.
Tobi c: ikr I was so pissed when the decided to bring palpatine back, it ruined anakins whole story whole purpose. And they didn’t even mention anakins name in ep9 or any of the movies. He should’ve been a force ghost talking to Kylo trying to turn him back to the light, but no Disney didn’t do that. ANAKIN SHOULD’VE BEEN IN THE MOVIES, Star Wars was actually based on anakins story not reys, and not Luke’s, Luke was only to help anakin back to the light and complete his purpose. Anakins deserved so much more, he was the chosen one and Disney basically forgot that he existed. Yes I do know he did make a brief appearance in ep9 with his voice, but I still wasn’t satisfied. Disney should’ve done so much more with him. Sorry for ranting I’m just so annoyed, they wasted so many good opportunities to make the movies a cannon.
@@Dino23968 people hated films like ROTJ and AOTC because of silly plot devices, cringy dialogue and questionable directing… but the story worked and that’s why, after a few tweaks and spin offs, people appreciate it now. Over a decade later they try and expand this already completed story with films, which are cinematic and visual spectacles, but were written with absolutely none of the love or passion that was apparent in Lucas’ original vision. People hated the prequels because they didn’t understand Star Wars, people hate the sequels because they do.
For me, Hayden Christensen was the perfect guy to play Anakin. I really liked his performance and I do not understand all the hate. Keep going, Hayden.
Let's not forget that Ford was a more experienced actor and some of the Prequel cast were both early in their careers and saw George Lucas as some kind of idol due to the Original Trilogy. When you combine those factors you can see why people like Hayden Christensen didn't question the script that much.
george lucas wrote the dialogue and directed every move of the actors.Hayden is very good if u you look at all of his scenes how his face expressions are on point and shows he can look dark,evil and be an amazing actor,his line delivery arent as bad as people think in their minds it is.but to each of their own opinions i guess.i pity star wars fans who dont enjoy the prequels in the same level as the originals like me and a few others
“The person who you thought was the villain, was really the victim” -George Lucas Beautiful poetry, but also heart breaking when you consider the backlash he got from fans after the prequels
Javed Shamim me too...I heard Anakin’s voice with a new line but it would’ve been so powerful if his Force Ghost appeared. Palpatine did after all screw over the Skywalkers for decades, starting with Anakin
I know Hayden got a lot of hate, but I NEVER understood that. I have always and will always love him as Anakin Skywalker. I feel he completely embodied the character of Darth Vader. He was one of my favorite actors in the prequel trilogy. He helped make them as good as they are.
@Richard Sutton in legends he killed the greatest sith in existence. He accomplished nothing in legends. After all the suffering he we t through because of the jedi Council and palpatine, they took his greatest achievement.
man i feel sorry for hayden, the backlash to him being in sw ruined his career. he did what he was asked to do perfectly: he really understood anakin's conflict inside himself, and depicted it perfectly in the movies. anakin always seems to process something, really like there's this 'what am i doing' voice in his head. he's also aware of the flaws of the jedi order, which forced him to withdraw and be secretive and suspicious and ultimately lead him to the dark side. the prequels are much darker and tragic than the ot. hayden really became anakin and vader, tying both triologies together. what a fucking legend.
Yeah Hayden is a good actor. You can see when watching him that he’s not just saying lines but that you can really see in the prequels that there are thoughts and conflicts going in the characters head even despite not saying a word.
And he has won the 'to the worst actor'award for two of the film...Shame.Between I think that award is a joke..Eddie Murphy and Robin Williams have been nomineed for that once soo...Stupid thing
00britney he definitely played it well. He did exactly what Lucas wanted him to do. The real problem is with Lucas’ direction and vision. Lucas ironically did not do a good job of tying the two together. Not hate for Hayden. The storytelling and dialogue left much to be desired. It’s not believable like the OT.
Let's not forget that these movies span periods of time. Between Phantom Menace and Clones, ten years had passed; between Clones and Revenge about three years had gone by. People change over time so of course there would be changes.
Ok, it could be not his fault, plus with Lucas always getting in his way trying to tell him constantly what to do... (and you could tell that in this video). In the old ones, he leaved the actors alone and just said thinks like "more intensity". Other factor on why people dont like his acting is the disgusting way and dialogue of the love story between Anakin and Padme. If we consider that... yeah, i agree, it really is not his fault.
Anakin just wants to save the ones he loves. He could have saved his mother, but he was too late. He could have saved Padme, but he was too angry. But in Return of the Jedi, Anakin saved Luke because he loved him
Someone else said it best: Anakin falls from the Light to try to save his wife from dying. But, Anakin in the end returns to the Light to save his son from death.
It just breaks my heart to hear of George's original vision for Anakin as the chosen one redeemed by his son, only to be ruined by Disney in episode 9 by Rey and grandpapa Palpy coming back. #notmyskywalker
Rise of Skywalker is such a misleading title. They baited us all. Rey making herself a Skywalker is such a weak ending... As of tomorrow I'm gna be a Kenobi.
Anakin being redeemed by his son is not made irrelevant by Palpatine coming back. You could say his sacrifice was made unnecessary but he was still reddemed as he finally went back to the light side to save his son and to bring 40 years of peace to the galaxis
I’m a “new” Star Wars fan, having just gotten into the whole series because of The Mandalorian. I was very touched by Anakin/Vader’s story when I watched the movies 1-6 for the first time. It’s really great to be able to watch the series as it was really intended and see the development of Anakin and Vader in particular. The original films have a much greater emotional impact now.
@@lockonstratos31 I watched it in order, apart from the Mandalorian that is. After I watched two seasons of Mando, I decided to watch Episode 1 and then continued one after the other until episode 6. That’s kind of the moment I decided I was truly a Star Wars fan and not just a Mando fan. After that, I Watched Solo, then continued with episodes 7-9. I started watching The Clone Wars in between the sequel movies and finished that off, saw the Ewok movies, Book of Boba Fett, The Bad Batch, Visions, and recently, Obi-Wan Kenobi. So, it’s definitely keeping me entertained!
This is one of the reasons I really appreciate the prequels. The cast was perfect and the tragic story of Anakin is very complex and entertaining. Hayden did an amazing job portraying Anakin.
Am I the only one that thinks Anakin's turn throughout the ENTIRE prequel trilogy was extremely well done and executed? I mean think about the tragedy that Anakin has endured throughout his whole life. In episode I a strange man comes and says that he is "The Chosen One" and is a huge deal. This leads him to be taken away from his mother, which already is terrible in itself. What makes it worse is that she is the only person that he has truly loved and is taken away from her. Then when he arrives on Coruscant he is told that he will not be trained. After lots of convincing and death he is, only to be treated throughout his Padawan and Jedi Knight years like a foolish child while at the same time being told that he was "The Chosen One." Then he would have to go through the pain of having his own mother die in his arms. I would imagine he would have some... complaints...
+miscaltc I think you should see him as a learning padawan, rather than him as a starting to become evil. He doesn't understand the Jedi code, thus he is confused and conflicted why things are done like that in the first place.
+Paradox I think the storyline of the prequels is really gripping, I just think it was executed badly. Anakin could have been - SHOULD have been - a sympathetic character but... somehow he just wasn't. I think it was a mixture of the script (at times), the acting, and the direction, that made him seem creepy or annoying.
+miscaltc I think from this you can see that Haydn always viewed Darth Vader as "ultimate evil" and he always had his eye on the fact he was going to turn bad, which I think affected how he acted. When really the story of Darth Vader was someone who was conflicted and has a lot of good qualities. He really could have turned out to be a great jedi, if things had been different.
+Paradox People have critiqued his acting as distant and almost awkward. Which I think his acting is very on point with his character. He was taken from his family at a young age to train. But just because they began training him at a young age did not make him fully understand the Jedi curriculum. He was well aware of his skills and power but did not grasp the bigger picture of controlling his power and effectively using it. Plus he's seen some terrible things... There's actually an entire paragraph on his Wikipedia page analyzing his behavior (psychologically).
***** I guess you're right... I think it's a fascinating story too. Such a complex character needed a great actor and a great director and a better script, and sadly the prequels lacked any of those things. If Hamlet hadn't been written by Shakespeare and you'd had him played by a mediocre actor he'd seem whiny and incomprehensible too, not to mention downright mean to his girlfriend. I'm not saying Hayden is terrible, he's just not great. AND he wasn't given a good chance with the script and Lucas's weird directing.
Agreed. Hayden was the perfect cast and even though he's only a decent actor, no one could capture the essence of the tragic hero torn between loyalties as well as Hayden did. It's just that he was often given a dialogue that is almost impossible to make it sound natural.
@@TheRivrPrncess Well really thinking back on it maybe some of the script in ep 2 was a tiny bit "off" I'd say only in the love scenes though, but it doesn't bother me im a die hard prequels fan :)
Hayden did a perfect job as Anakin in the circumstances. I think that apart from the poor lines he had, another factor which made some people hate his acting skills is that they had other expectations. When you've watched a tough guy like Darth Vader in the originals, you might not expect to see a younger Vader who's whining and complaining about everything. But I think that's exactly the whole point. Hayden expressed the correct emotions, we could see all along ep.2 and ep.3 his struggle with his anger, it would surface even in lighter love scenes with Padme. And if somebody thinks he was wooden, I guess this is due to the fact that he tried to relate as much as possible to the later, bad and emotionless Darth Vader and in this showed perfectly the inner struggle between the good and bad in him. And about the expressions - especially in ep.3 he did a great job. You see him gradually becoming Vader. I really hope the rumours of Hayden taking some kind of part in Episode VIII to be true. He's a good actor and deserves a second chance by the Star Wars hardliner fans.
+Tsvetana Rangelova Hayden is not a bad actor, but just miscast IMO. He didn't fit at all. But then again, who am I to say when I dislike the whole trilogy
If Hayden Christensen comes back for Episode VII, I'd like to know what the fuck he's gonna do! His character is dead! Now if Ewan McGregor came back as Obi-Wan, it would make sense, because he could come back as a Force spirit, like Alec Guinness had done time and time again in the original trilogy. But what the hell is Hayden Christensen gonna do? Also, a father meeting his older son? That's gotta be pretty weird.
I loved the Prequels as a kid. I was so heartbroken when I realized that most Star Wars fans hated them. If only people back then could see the Sequel trilogy, the George could still be at the helm.
Exactly it makes me so sad, like most kids loved the prequels and grew up loving them and all the work put in must’ve felt horrible especially for Hayden with all the hate he got
most fans did NOT hate them. It was the vocal minority that did, especially the neckbeard wannabe film critics of the time whop thought they understood Starwars more than George. They are the reason he was pressured to sell. The Disney garbage trilogy is their fault
I was one of them who initially thought Anakin was too stiff and lacks much emotion. I realise now that this follows his character arc, that he didn't have much socialising and normal interaction like any other kid or a teenager would have. This could also partly explain why his love lines to Padme were so cheesy. I will now admit that Hayden did a Great job portraying a character that we all feared so much, we started loving him. Thank you George. Episodes 7-9 however.... are best not spoken about forever...
I guess people thought he was a bad actor because of the way the directing is applied, but you can even see how AWESOME he is during his fight with Obi Wan. That's some real fucking emotion right there!
Anakin's story is the best in the all the trilogies Edit: Thnx for all the likes guys, Hayden's trilogy was my favorite thing to watch growing up, I wish they do bring him back
@@Mys10c Yup. By bringing back Palpatine (Which is just a cheap trick from disney to lure back the old fans) makes the whole Anakin Rise, fall, and redemption in episode 1-6 pointless. Its a disgrace to Star Wars
11. The last Jedi 10. Solo 9. Rogue one 8. The Force Awakens 7. The Rise of Skywalker 6. A new hope 5. Attack of the Clones 4. Phantom Menace 3. Empire strikes back 2. Return of the Jedi 1. Revenge of the Sith
This is my list 10. The Last Jedi 9. Solo 8. Attack of the Clones 7. Phantom Menace 6. Force Awakens 5. Rogue One 4. A New Hope 3. Return of the Jedi 2. Revenge of the Sith 1. Empire Strikes Back
Hayden is absolutely amazing as Anakin. I can not imagine anyone else doing his character. I loved every second of his acting. I would have loved to see more of him in the 9th movie. Too bad it didn't happen.
3:01 The person who you thought was the villain, is really the victim. - George Lucas I think this is why he made Anakin a strong yet weak-minded whiny conflicted character, who was very arrogant and misguided. So that his influence and direction to the darkside was more clear and understandable. Its a shame so many people dont see it.
Enda McNabola They had reason not to trust him...and Palpatine knew it...and exploited the situation to make it even worse in his mind to make him believe they were doing evil things behind his back they were keeping from him.
+Jay Bartgis I think Lucas was going for that. When Obi-Wan says "Don't try it," he realizes exactly what the situation is. Difference is, Darth Maul was standing there savoring his victory, not paying attention, while Obi-Wan was ready the whole time for a counterattack
+Jay Bartgis Also Episode 1: The Council has granted me permission to train you. You will be a Jedi. I promise. Episode 3: I have failed Anakin, I have failed you.
@@juanlaise1059 I would too. Palpatine is like the Devil. If you knwo anything abotu Stan then you woudl clearly see that. I always use this analogue with people who know SW but have not got a clue about the Devil.
I’m glad over time people have come to appreciate Hayden’s performance as Anakin and stopped blaming him for the poorly done script. It must’ve been hard to be the most hated guy in the Star Wars fandom at the time..
No one blamed Christen for the awful dialogue they blamed George. Directors go threw many retakes and edits when they do a scene. George got lazy and said “fuck it” and only did about 1 or 4.
Zadorien Production’s I wouldn’t say he got lazy he just focused on lesser things. Star Wars never had good dialogue though the originals were just as bad
3:22 Hayden was asked to "pull back". Here it is! The proof that the fault isn't his. The lines, but most important, Lucas' directing in general are responsable for the hate he receives now. Sorry, but I had to say it!
Ikr! I feel bad for him. If George Lucas didn't direct the film then none of that would've happened. But Hayden got the most hate! Grrr Anakin is my favorite character along side Luke.
+Selina Kyle Hayden isn't a bad actor. He shows more range and interlect in these interviews than he does in the movies, probably because the lack of Lucas writing and directing.
+Selina Kyle What are you talking about? He was asked to pull back when he first was on Episode II so there'd be a more clearly defined arc to the character. I agree, it was the writing and direction, not Hayden's acting, that were at fault, but this particular line doesn't mean anything in regards to that.
Hayden so underrated its a shame, we should blame the dialogue writers, he had to say some of the worst lines in history, and they needed a better writer for love stories cause that love was cheesy af
9:23 you probably didn't notice but Obi-Wan says "don't ask me Anakin" and this was from a cut-scene where Anakin, immediately after being defeated, asks Obi-Wan to help him. This would've been the point where Anakin fully falls to the dark side, gets yellow-eyed and screams "I hate you." Obi-Wan was meant to say, "I loved you, but I can't help you."
@@MilesAway he liked Star Wars, but hated Lucasfilm's lack of organization (in 1977, Lucasfilm was a tiny and new company). He also hated being known as "Ben Kenobi," because he believed he did better in other films. The only reason why he returned for Empire and ROTJ was because Lucasfilm paid him an enormous amount of money.
Yeah, Lucas is a *great* storyteller though. Definitely my favorite. It's really the words that he used to get that story across could be rough at times, but the story itself in Ep 1-6 is absolutely brilliant, especially when you look at how it all connects on a deeper level.
@@TheLegendOfLame yep, absolutely. The dialogue may not have been great in the prequels, but there were some pretty bad lines in the OT and Sequels too. People didn't like the politics in the prequels, but the politics really are all linked, and show how Palpatine rose to power. The Clone Wars animated show really tied together the gap between 2 and 3, and fixed some relationships from the prequels that were previously pretty unbelievable and forced(like Anakin and Obi wan, Anakin and Padme, etc). The Rebels series, while having big issues, was similar to TCW in the way that the initial seasons were bad, but it ended up being pretty decent by the time the show was cut.
+Michael Ford Agreed! Though some of the dialogue was a bit stale, you can see that Hayden really felt his character's pain. I don't understand why people hate on him; nothing was his fault.
@@biggbluh Totally agree. From just starting to get into the character, to the fact that, even if I love George, some of the lines were... Wofff... And even George has said he's not an actor's director. So it's understandable why there was a learning curve with Anakin that we didn't see with, say, Kenobi (Ewan was a beast of an actor already by Ep1). But overall, Hayden did an amazing job.
I think Anakin's dialog with Obi Wan just before their fight was one of the best scenes, especially with german voice acting. I also think Episode III is by far the most emotional one. I don't understand all the hate
+Amadeus Moriarty Well in terms of the lines being bad I must admit, that I do not think the lines in the originals are better. Actually I think the lines in the prequels are quite well and the same goes for the original ones. The most regular comlain I here, is that the romantic lines are weak and silly, but I honestly think that this is a good thing. You need to remember, that we are dealing with a young Anakin who is one big emotional mess as a character. He is that naive young guy, who is completely blinded by love, and I think he's "childish" dialoge reflects that, rather than being bad performance or badly written, and in my opinion that is the difference that most fans who hates it are getting wrong. And essentially his lack of control with his feelings is what turns him to the dark side. Of course this is just my opinion, and if you or anyone else still dislike the prequels, that is just fine, but I myself think that they are getting a lot of unjustifiable critique :-)
Hayden’s acting is subtle but excellent. The emotion is there, smouldering under the surface. It’s perfect for Anakin as you sense that internal struggle. He lets you feel that inner anger without showing it overtly.
Thank you, Hayden, for returning to “Obi Wan Kenobi” Episode 6 is what we’ve been waiting for all these years. Seeing Hayden and Ewan surprisingly come onstage at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2022 was certainly a highlight. The fans have welcomed you home.
the sad thing is he sees the vision of her dying because her death happens because he tries to stop it and that is what kills her in the end if he would not have tried it might have ended differently but that is star wars for you
+GBossFilms actually palatine made him see padmes death in his dreams to manupulate him and to be able to offer a way out later on when he tells him about him and the darth side.
+Kracker He knew about anakin's dreams about padme, every detail. What's more, I also think that sidious actually killed padme through the force, maybe even took her life force to keep the grilled anakin alive until he could be put into his suit but that on the other hand is just my interpretation and also a relatively common theory
Christian Bale? Hell no. Dicaprio? FUCK NO. They both have played too many other roles, their both well-known and have so many people sucking their dicks because of who they are. Hayden was perfect. Yes he flopped a bit in Ep2 but hey, everyone who has acted in films have done a job not so well-done, but there is room for improvement and I feel like Hayden did a better job in Ep3. Opinions are opinions and therefore I am entitled to that, wether you like it or not, i really don't give a shit. Thank you for stopping by. Enjoy the video :) Have a nice fucking day!
Γιαννης Διακογεωργακης Height isn't a real obstacle in film. There have been many instances of actors being made to look bigger or smaller than they are for a role. Leo is listed at 6 feet 0 inches on IMDB, which is the same height as Hayden Christensen.
Maxine Universe Matt Lanter was AWESOME for Clone Wars! Yes, Hayden needs to come back for "The Last Jedi". If you listen to the latest interviews with Hayden his voice has matured more and he sound like Matt Lanter more.
Anakin still is the Chosen One. Don't worry. Palpatine's return did not invalidate it in any way. But that doesn't mean that no one else isn't allowed to follow in the Chosen One's footsteps, like Rey did. According to canon, the prophecy says: "A Chosen One shall come, born of no father, and through him will ultimate balance in the Force be restored."
@Legendary Vocalists the chosen one prophecy has been a great part of anakin's character for a decade. And the clone wars further confirmed that he was basically the saviour of the star wars universe with mortis arc. Obviously the prequel fans are going to be disappointed if u take something that was so important to the trilogy and throw it out.
@@Mys10c Anakin still is the Chosen One. Don't worry. Palpatine's return did not invalidate it in any way. But that doesn't mean that no one else isn't allowed to follow in the Chosen One's footsteps, like Rey did. According to canon, the prophecy says: "A Chosen One shall come, born of no father, and through him will ultimate balance in the Force be restored."
Hayden was so good looking in this. Darth vader went through so much serious physical & emotional pain. His arm and legs are chopped off & hes burned to a crisp. He is in agony being put into that suit. They just seal him in without asking him. Then he loses his wife & thinks his child is dead. ( doesnt know she has twins ) no wonder luke of course starts to awaken his good side . The child he thought died is alive & is half the women he loved.
Aint going to lie, when i bought this movie in 2005, i literally watched this movie and every featurette on the film. It was just historic. Still my favorite Star Wars film.
Hayden is so underrated, without him we wouldn't have the star wars we have now. He basically finished the final product of Star Wars and allowed us to have a perspective of star wars that we wouldn't have had with any other actor. He allowed us to have a character that we have true feelings for, hate and love towards, which has shaped a lot of the star wars based fans and universe. Best actor in my opinion and should have been given so much more credit than what he has now.
Padmé is underrated too 1. Mother of Luke & Leia 2. Darth Vader’s love 3. Queen of Naboo 4. Senator who plays a very important rule And no one gives her credit without her there would be no Luke or leia
Especially for a noble man such as himself. Obi Wan Kenobi is my favorite character in Star Wars because he feels more like a real person more than any other character. Everyone talks about the affects the Mustafar battle had on Anakin, but nobody talks about the effect it had on Obi Wan. He felt that he had failed as a Jedi Master, he tried his very best to teach Anakin the right way, but he still felt like a failure. He had to live with that for 20 years, he also had to leave his best friend, and who he thought of as a brother, to die in an active volcano, he must have been horribly guilt ridden over those 20 years, so horrible that he had to call himself Ben Kenobi because his actual name caused him too much pain, and he couldn't stand being a Jedi anymore because he felt he didn't deserve to be one. That being said, he wasn't the right teacher for Anakin, he was more of a big brother type, and Anakin needed a father figure, I still wonder to this day how Anakin may have turned out had Qui Gonn Jinn trained him as originally intended.
