His character was never likeable because he was intended to be. He was supposed to be immature, petty, easily frustrated; but that bucked film norms. They didn’t have enough time to develop his fall, and folks hated it.
@@joeldoherty2166 Why do you ask me? Vader is not my favourite villain, but after seeing SW many times, I took it from different perespective, and I actually like his performance, for making me hate him, which is good for villain.
I agree Hayden took some crap due to the prequels so it is great, thanks to the generations who have grown up with them, that he is getting his deserved props. However, Ahmed Best (Jar Jar Binks) career and life were unfairly ruined due to the reaction to the character. He became suicidal due to it. So it was great to see him in the Mandalorian and hopefully more projects too. It would be great for him to get this reaction.
It makes me so happy to see him get his flowers. He was so unfairly criticized for a script that he didn't write, but the did the best he could to portray the character. You can tell this crowd reaction touched him on a deeper level. It's great to see.
He took twenty years of sh*t for this character and performance, didn't turn his back on the franchise, and stayed true to the way he wanted to play it He did not let the negativity push him to, if you will, the dark side. In all seriousness, that must have been difficult at times Now he's finally getting his due
@@h3lol His mom recently spoke about this. Jake always liked Star Wars, still does, and the hate for his role never reached him until he was in high school. Stopped acting because of other rough things happening in life, and it is believed that his affliction would have happened even without that role. He is doing a lot better now.
The older generation criticized him harshly nothing you could've done was going to please the old heads but to Millennials and Gen Z this guy was our childhood, so glad he's getting his flowers.
I am from the old generation. I always like Hayden Christiansen. I never thought he got a fair shake, but always liked his portrayal as Anakin Skywalker. He looked and acted the part. he will always be Anakin Skywalker as James Earl Jones will always be the voice of Darth Vader!
People often criticize him for the cringe flirting scenes.. like how the fuck do you think a teenager that never kissed a woman would flirt with a superhot senator? Brainless people.
Gen X Star Wars alter worshipper HERE! Not ALL of us old heads are dicks! I saw him as the PERFECT, tall, handsome, emotion torn character George would make! When he TURNED?! I CRIED!! FRFR!!
The shit the prequels actors had to deal with from the fan community at the time was totally unfair, and always bothered me even in those cases where I agreed with the criticism. I think it's great that Hayden is finally getting the fan treatment he deserves.
The way this fanbase goes into personal attacks is always insane. I hate the sequels as much as the prequels, but they're just films in a fake universe and I don't attack individual people doing their job just because the product didn't turn out right. Star Wars is such a toxic fanbase. The treatment of so many sequel actors was imo even worse than the prequels
you can see it in his eyes. His heart is swelling in that moment and he's trying so hard to keep composure. I know this is a year old but god damn im so happy for Hayden. No one can be Anakin except for him.
Imagine being blamed for ruining a franchise you love, that you were starry eyed to join, and harassed for decades with people saying you ruined it. Then imagine walking on stage after so many years being celebrated by fans and people you thought hated you, only to find out that they love you. I’d get emotional too, hell I couldn’t help but smile genuinely to this video bc I was so happy for him.
Caps lock aside, his performance in Kenobi is proof enough that he was never the problem. It was that stilted old-school Jedi dialogue being applied to a good chunk of the entire prequel trilogy's characters, even non-Jedi, was not the best directing decision. It was always, and forever will be, a directing issue that caused the reaction the prequels got and never the acting. And in a bit of irony, we saw what the exact opposite problem of the prequels was in the form of the sequels: Where the acting was at least in-between the first trilogies in that on paper it *seems* better at least on the very first watch, the godawful story and character writing dragged it under the oceans of Kamino. You can get over bad directing and even acting when the story is good. You can't save a bad story the other way around unless it's more of a fun-bad kind of bad. An easy example is I can't even be asked to remember the names of almost any planet in the sequels even when they sometimes *flat out tell you the name* in a subtitle.
@@Thejeweler101 I did see it and, no, David Prowse and James Earl Jones together are more Vader than Hayden. That being said, Hayden will always be my Anakin.
I really want a Darth Vader movie with him. Joker got his own movie, Maleficent got her own movie. They did amazing. But Darth Vader is possibly most iconic villain in film history.
Shawty, consider how terrible the sequel trilogy was, how bad Solo was, how bad most of disney's SW shows are, and then tell me that you still want them to make a Vader movie.
It makes my heart happy to see Hayden finally getting the recognition he has LONG since deserved. This dude nailed the part, portrayed Anakin perfectly, worked his balls off on learning the choreography for the sword fights.
Hayden CLEARLY is The Chosen One. Really glad to see him be appreciated for his work in Star Wars and that he's given us fresh and amazing performances that add to the saga 20 years later. All relevant and all add to Anakin's arc beautifully.
The tragedy of The Fall of Anakin Skywalker is one of the most powerful and emotional storylines in any epic tale. The way Hayden has portrayed both Anakin and Vader in live action, especially the scenes with Obi-wan and Ashoka, have left most of us a blubbering mess. I’m so happy for Hayden that he is finally beloved by the Star Wars community of fandom.
He did what he could, but the script and directing for him was terrible. His performance on Ahsoka showed he has the acting chops, but unless you are Daniel Day Lewis, you are not making the script Hayden was given sound good
But despite some silly scenes in episode 2 (which he was also a teenager and him complaining would be logical), there are some excellent scenes in episode 3. Especially when Anakin is thinking about what he must do to save the one he loves most. And the eerie Williams score that plays in the background@@ben1ben2ben1
@@LordVerdo I don't like the prequels. And I don't like most of his ep 2 and 3 fighting choreography. But man, his hate stare, and his angered filled voice on ep 3 was on point every time. In fact, his only line that I don't like how he deliveries it on ep 3 is his "You've underestimate my power." But the "I HATE YOU" filled with despair, hate, pain and betrayal makes up for it. Hayden was such a great actor, and he did never deserved the hate he got.
Same. When I went to elementary school we always used to play Star Wars aka fighting with sticks. Everyone wanted to be Obi Wan and I was the only one who always wanted to be Anakin. I found him so cool.
The internet magnified that hate a lot whereas the average person (the vast majority) enjoyed the films and the performances for what they were. The problem with humans is that they're pieces of shit and drones that will parrot whatever anyone with some level of influence says, and on the internet where you're anonymous those voices get heard the most.
I got CHILLS hearing the Revenge of the Sith score as he walked on stage. 2005 was one of the best years to be a Star Wars fan. Hayden helped make that movie iconic. I’m glad he’s been getting to hear the sound of real fans
Same! I was but a kid when I saw all six films for the first time, and then a couple years back we had a movie project with my friend and we watched Star Wars from my now decent home setup and Episode 3 was pure chills and feels. A movie score cannot be better than what it was in ep 3, ever.
Bro I'll never understand the problem the older people had with Hayden as Anakin. I grew up watching those star war movies and loved seeing him on screen and the light saber duals is just a sight to see.
True, but even when social media appeared many people on it STILL showed hate to Hayden and continued to lambast his performance for many years. Only recently the positive feedback and the common sense (stating that the script was the problem not the actors) have prevailed and drowned the critics' voices.
No no no, don't absolve the Star Wars fandom that easily for the role they played back then. Social Media might not have been around, but fan forums and Imdb Messageboards definitely were. And the early days of RU-vid soon followed, filled with ridicule and hate for the prequels. Don't rewrite history I remember very distinctly. Critics didn't bully Jaky Lloyd into giving up acting and mental illness. Critics didn't harass Ahmed Best to the point where he almost killed himself. And besically everyone shat on Haydens performance as Anakin and made fun of it. The Star Wars fandom had (and still has) a vile and ugly part in it, people who take these movies so seriously that any perceived flaw in them warrants harassment, bullying and even death threats. This was as true back then as it is now and we as fans shouldn't turn a blind eye to it just because it makes us uncomfortable.
He did a great job in portraying Anakin going from good to evil. I’m happy to see him reprise his role as Anikan Skywalker. He’s gorgeous then, he’s gorgeous now.
One of the most nuanced characters ever put to film, acted masterfully by Hayden. I will NEVER understand the underserved hate he got for his role as Anakin. He will forever be among my favorite characters of my childhood. Thank you, Hayden.
hayden/anakin for me was the true anti hero for me that made me meunderstood why he did what he did. hayen christensen, you never failed us, they were whack and some bandwaganers decided to like for their new hatreed for the latest trilogy, my personal favorite was revenge of the sith
Lucas is a great visionary, a great story teller, a great master at creating a fantastical universe, but never a very good acting director. Just look at Natalie Portman's performance in the prequels, and she is a proven superstar acting talent. Whatever problems there were in the prequels lie with the director, not the actors. Hayden's performance when directed by other directors speak for itself. Just look at Anakin in the latest Ahsoka episodes. Bring tears to my eyes.
Most of the hate came from Origial trilogy fans (which can be dead by now date) ; and back when the prequels were shot, the hate came from them.. now we all knew he is the chosen one
You're not wrong but the answer is Anakin was a bit of a prat in the eyes of haters... they just couldn't understand how someone so human could be the terror known as Vader... so they went in with expectations that couldn't be met... when really... Anakins story is all about pain fear love remorse anger betrayal and being locked in one's head... chosen one or not... he was just a man and a very young one at that.
Imagine the following: You are a young, up-and-coming actor. You get a role starring in THE definite movie franchise., playing one of the most beloved/iconic characters in movie history. You get directed by the main man himself. And you're acting in a green room with no real relation to anything around you, playing off a script written by the main man who says of himself that he's not a good writer of dialogue. Even seasoned actors struggled with the whole setup, and they quite probably didn't have as much to prove (or thought how much they had to prove) themselves. Hayden has nothing to be ashamed of, even for the more wooden parts of his performance.
Dude put his all into a role for the then upcoming generation of fans. Unfortunately, it was many of the older generation who were the loudest, and the only message he heard for the longest time was that his effort was wasted. The kids who’s voices weren’t heard back then are now all grown up and making their voices and appreciation heard. Him realizing after all this time how beloved his performance and character is to that generation both breaks my heart and makes me insanely happy.
Well prequels are not the best movies. They had many problems had huge troubles in development not so great writing and some of the actor performances were just bad. Films also didn't have enough time to properly develop the story George was trying to tell. But even after knowing all this I am a fan of the prequels. Anakin performance wasn't the best but it had great moments and I agree that the hate he got was absolutely undeserved. I'm also glad to see him happy after all this he really deserved this. Even tho prequels were flawed I genuinely liked them maybe outside some of the Phantom Mance moments ( looking at you midichloroans)
@@hatii3141yeah that's all fine but as a kid we didn't care about any of that and thought the movies were so cool. Now at 30 years old when I watch I have those memories so I appreciate it for what it is without all the unnecessary nitpicking.
It's great to see him receive all this love. Especially when you've seen deleted scenes from the prequels and the amount of effort he put into his performance. Only dude who was actually dueling in all his fights. He loved the role so much he even worked on the ep3 video game giving pointers for Anakin's combat and motion capture.
Ewan McGregor also trained really hard for the fight in episode III and was pretty much on par with Hayden all the time, just wanted to make that statement :)
@@goterfortress1 The effort that actors put into training is really even more obvious when compared to the disney movies. Hell, the obiwan show with the obiwan and anikan training showed greater skill choreography than any fight in the main Disney trilogy.
Just give us a Vader show of him hunting Jedi, and include Sidious. You can easily add in him without the helmet either in the tank, or in visions and flashbacks
Or he could sort of narrate over it the show/movie well wear the suit. I think hearing Vader's thoughts through Anakin's voice would be kind of cool and would help show the conflict Anakin/Vader faces within himself.
Hayden probably doesn’t realize that he IS Darth Vader. At this point more than James Earl Jones or David Prowse. His legacy is as Darth Vader and that’s HUGE.
@@rossikcthere's truth in both sides. Jones is irreplaceable as vaders voice and expression. Hayden is irreplaceable as anakin Skywalker, the prelude to vader. Both are extremely important to the star wars story and the overall character. Hayden however, is the only actor for the character thus far that has bridged the gap between the 2 versions of the character. He's played anakin and vader now. The clones wars TV show also models anakin after Haydens portrayal. The clone wars is what fills out the prequels time skips. Hayden is also not just the face of anakin and more recently the literal burnt face of vader, but he's also the guy in the vader suit now for the shows, and more than likely any future movie roles involving vader will also be done by Hayden. Hayden IS the overall character of anakin/vader. He's just not the voice. I think at this point it's fair to call Hayden vader too, not just anakin. He's not the voice, but he is now the prelude, the face, the suit. He's been the one doing the majority of the work in the overall available film and show content to flesh out anakin/vaders story as an actor. I love both, but Hayden has more involvement with the character than Jones does.
El porte de Hayden es similar al de Prowse, creo que fue la elección perfecta por físico y carisma, yo tengo 44 años, soy seguidor de la vieja escuela de Star Wars y nunca critique las precuelas, de hecho creo que la elección de actores fue magistral, Hayden, Mcgregor y Portman brillaron en sus papeles...
I remember watching Return of the sith as a kid in the theatres. Also, I can never forget the standing ovation as soon as the movie ended. As a kid I loved Hayden as Anakin Skywalker but much later I found out that he received a lot of hate for his performance. It's funny because most of the audience members who are cheering him there must have been a kid like me when they watched him in Star Wars, they must have loved his performance of bringing Anakin Skywalker to life. The haters must have been the older fans of Star Wars and probably they don't even remember hating on him. It's sad that Hayden had to go through that but I'm glad that he got to witness the warm welcoming and appreciation for his work.
@@yahyazaidi2592 Dude, how old were you when the prequels came out? Do you remember how much the adult fans HATED the prequels when they were released? History is just repeating itself lol
To the Zabrak, George Lucas in an interview on tV with Hayden and Natalie, said that the prequels will not fully be appreciated . They would be appreciated in 15 to 20 years and he was right!!!
I saw that interview. Hayden real real sad looking downcast the whole time. Natalie came with a shaved head and looked directly at the camera visibly shaken yet standing upright eyes forward . George was in the middle with one on each side of him! Yes never seen anything like that . Shows how important Starwars was and still is! A Cultural Phenomenon of our generations!!!
Since i saw him on the big screen till now i have always believed he deserved more. Like people should have loved his acting for the character it was so raw and perfect if you ask me
I grew up on the preguels and I always thought Hayden's portrayal of Anakin was amazing, especially in ROTS. It sucked when I later learned how much backlash he and the prequals in general received from fans. Really glad to see most have come around and embrace him the way they do now.
only to be appriciated years later . even with the bad script he played that role really good , in my mind he is the only anakin skywalker . he deserves this praise . Just look what we have now rey palpatine .
@@notmyrealhandle the midichlorian thing is ironic because that was a world-building element from the get-go...lucas mapped all of that out back in the early 70s
Backlash totally a setup. I believe jealous people hired people to hurt George Lucas. They were poisoned with jealousy. All the new inventions and firsts he created , a genius pure genius!! That backlash totally totally unwarranted. The prequels are Great!!!!!!!!
@@general-thehero182 If I remember correctly. I think it wasnt wholly hate just directed at him, but at how George Lucas was changing his original films adding and tweaking things. The only thing that Hayden was part of that really bothered me was how they had him replace Shaw's force ghost
I'll admit that I didn't get why h is acting SEEMED bad in 2 and 3, but after I thought about how someone who's taught to suppress their emotions for years of course he'd sound immature when expressing negative emotions. Once I realized that I've found a whole new appreciation for his work in the prequels.
I love how much he's embraced his role and the fandom and he doesn't take a single fan for granted...actors/actresses like him are truly legends of time.
I’m so glad that life was generous enough to him to let him live to actually see this era we’re in now where the kids who saw his performances decades ago get to show their love and appreciation for him and what he’s done for the series.
6 year old me screams with joy in Hayden Christensen coming back era. I used to watch star wars and jumper with him every other day when I was younger xd
He is an excellent actor. He portrayed the tortured transformation from young Jedi to Sith lord so well. He poured his heart into it and for that reason he is loved as the person we think of when we picture Anakin
I love that you can see the kids are even hugging on their parents in awe of seeing Anakin on stage. Glad Hayden is getting his appreciation finally. Great moment 👏
I had my photo op yesterday with him, what an amazing guy. You can truly tell how appreciative he is from the fan base for showing support towards him after the backlash
Imagine that feeling of SO MANY that not only LOVE your work but are so grateful for what you’ve done for the community and fans. He must feel like a billion beans
Not pretending just stating facts, everything has flaws but why dwell on them? Just learn to enjoy the universe without being so fixated on small things. People are people and will always make errors or mistakes in their continuity/lore but that can be chalked up to the perspective from who is actually telling the story to us the audience. Everyone has their own way of seeing things/remembering them that's why it's never the same.
@@RoyalMudcrab I don't know the more I watch them the more superficial the flaws seem. Even after watching the 10 hour reviews deconstructing them. They are still masterpieces they even with their imperfections.
I'm so glad he finally got the this. He got treated so bad for the prequels and now the fans have shown him great admiration for the work he did. It's been way overdue for so long. I bet he just healed a massive wound in his heart. I'm so glad he finally got the praise he deserved. You can see how much it meant to him. It's written all over his face
Most of the fans that did not like his characters were the original trilogy fans, who expected someone different. But those who grew up with the trilogy in which he plays the roles, now are grown up and showing him the appreciation he actually deserves.
Amen, most of us love the 6 films but the old generation were too immature to make that concessions or accept that Star Wars, is at its heart, for children
@@thomassantino392 Not really, as one of the OG gen, the ONLY issue I ever had with the prequels was the horrible dialog that most of the characters, (especially Hayden AND Lloyd) were given to work with. They did the best they could with what they were given, but the dialog made Hayden's Anakin too whiny and one dimensional, all the way up until EP.3 near the end. He and the rest of the cast did good with what they had to work with.
I was there when this happened. The stream feed doesn't do the full justice of what it was like to be in this hall as Hayden had his moment. This is so deserved and watching it again this time from the comfort of my home brings tears to my eyes once again.
I have never seen a more humble and dedicated actor in my life, besides maybe Keanu Reeves, this man must be protected at all costs. AOTC was the first SW movie I saw in theatres, I went with my dad when I was 7 years old, Hayden's involvement in SW means a lot to me to put it lightly.
Seeing him get emotional warms up my heart. He was my whole childhood. I’m glad he finally got the respect he deserves after 20 years. I’ve always looked up to you, Hayden. You are my hero and my villain.
From the kid in the movie theatre in 1977 watching the Star Destroyer cross the screen for what seemed like forever. Thank you for the prequels, Hayden you are loved.
So so so good for him. I'm glad him and Ahmed Best got this treatment. Honestly people need to give some love to Jake Lloyd too. Totally did not deserve the bullying he got from it too, and while I know he most likely wouldn't want to go to one of these, he still deserves his credit and moments like those guys.
@@StationaryGamingReal nah unfortunately it is to late. You can see the hurt and anguish he has because essentially grown neck beards tipped a child over the edge and fucked him up mentally.
I never knew about what happened with Jake Lloyd until now after reading your comment. Wtf. While I always thought Hayden's portrayal was poor at times, Jake Lloyd was brilliant in episode 1. I'm gobsmacked.
Hayden had every right to say "No, thank you" to the offer of coming back to Star Wars, considering how a lot of the fandom at the time put the hate on him for the less than impressive prequel films, but I'm so glad he's getting the love now and he's been given a chance of redemption in a sense to bring live action Anakin back on screen.
It's so good to see Hayden finally reaping the rewards from all the hard work that he's put in through out the years. I remember the first time i saw him in starwars ep 2 back in 2002, can't believe it' been so long I was 6 when that movie came out omg were does the time go
I also feel bad for both Hayden and Jake Lloyd, because they both received a lot of negativity from their portrayal when I enjoyed their portrayal of both roles of playing Anakin.
I agree, they were perfect, we can just love them ! And hey look at 1:01 they wrote Darth Vader / Obi-Wan Kenobi (instead of Anakin Skywalker). How could they do such a mistake... 🤦♂😥❤
i'm glad she said something to him that had some impact. that legit made me tear up. he needs to hear that kinda stuff after his treatment from the release of the prequel trilogy. this is restitution for our own lack of insight.
He's so humble and never braged about being in Star Wars. Such a great actor and chill dude. He deserves all the love. He shaped my childhood with Anakins' character and still love him today at almost 28.
He gave us the teen years Anakin he played it very well The flak he got was undeserved. now if they could get Jake Lloyd out and make him fell like this it would be nice .
