The young Canadian actor, Hayden Christensen, was at the gate of a huge opportunity after playingthe adult version of Anakin Skywalker in two episodes of the Star Wars movies, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. Hollywood welcomed him with open arms, but after theStar Wars movieshis acting career was all butfinished.
Hayden Christensen was 19years old when he was chosen for the role of Anakin Skywalker. Before the Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, the young actor had never appeared in ahigh-budget Hollywood moviebefore. Although George Lucas had warned him in advance that his life wouldtotally change after the premier, Hayden said that he hadn’t been prepared for such huge hype.
He toldthe LATimes that he had felt like he hadn’t deserved such success and attention:
“The Star Wars movies have given me great opportunities in life, but I felt like everything came to me to easily. I didn’t want to live my life feeling that I made a career only because of Star Wars".
It was for thesereasons that he decided to withdraw from movies. He did goon to accept a few more roles in movies such asShattered Glass and Jumper and Takers, butthen retired to a Canadian farm.
Hayden Christensen is still very grateful for becoming a part of the Star Wars universe, and feels like now, at the age of 34, it is time to return to his acting career:
“The missed years of course had an effect on my career.
But strangely enough I feel it comforting. I always thought that my things would be decided because of this break. If my absence ruins my career, then it has to be over. But if I can return, I will feel like I really deserve success.”
In his latestmovie 90 Minutes in Heaven, the actor plays a man who, following a serious car accident, is pronounced dead by rescue workers only to come back to life 90 minutes laterclaiming to have spent that time in heaven. The drama – based on a true story – debuted in American cinemas in September 2015 and was met with mixed reviews.
