Obi-Wan Kenobi star Hayden Christensen and Andor star Diego Luna recently shared their Star Wars experiences during an extended conversation. Hayden Christensen and Diego Luna were paired for Variety’s Actors on Actors interview, leading to a long conversation during which the actors discussed their roles in the Star Wars universe. Christensen recently starred in Obi-Wan Kenobi as both Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader, whereas Luna recently reprised his role as Cassian Andor in the Andor series.
Hayden Christensen joined Star Wars for Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, whereas Diego Luna played Cassian for the first time in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. A Jedi Knight turned into Sith Lord and a lonely fighter turned into a rebel hero are very different Star Wars characters. However, Christensen and Luna’s experiences with Star Wars are similar in a lot of ways.
13 Hayden Christensen STILL Hasn’t Let His Daughter Watch Star Wars
When discussing being in the Darth Vader suit, Hayden Christensen revealed that his eight-year-old daughter has never seen him on Star Wars. Christensen noted that his daughter is aware that he plays a character in Star Wars, yet that he is still trying to decide how to present the films to her. That said, Christensen shared a wholesome story about taking his daughter to the Obi-Wan Kenobi set when the Anakin and Obi-wan flashback scene was being filmed.
12 Hayden Christensen’s Obi-Wan Kenobi Mementos Show The Duality Of Anakin Skywalker
Hayden Christensen kept a few lightsabers during his run as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader. Christensen revealed that he kept one lightsaber from the prequels, followed by two lightsabers from Obi-Wan Kenobi. Christensen noted how Anakin’s lightsaber is different from Darth Vader’s, which is why keeping one of each was so special. While Hayden Christensen got in the Darth Vader suit for Revenge of the Sith, it was only in Obi-Wan Kenobi that he really got to play Darth Vader. Whether Christensen will reprise his role as Darth Vader in a hypothetical Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2 remains to be seen.
11 The Idea For Andor Was A Joke While Making Rogue One
Diego Luna revealed that there were conversations about telling Cassian Andor’s origin story, as well as the origin stories of other Rogue One characters, during the making of the film. However, Luna revealed that they all took those conversations as a joke, initially. According to the Andor star, they could not actually plan something for any of the Rogue One characters before the movie premiered. They had to know how well Rogue One would be received first.
10 Diego Luna’s First Meeting With Rogue One Director Was A Big Secret
Diego Luna described his first meeting with Rogue One director Gareth Edwards, and it feels like a scene from a spy movie. Firstly, Luna did not know the meeting was for a Star Wars project, although his agent suspected that it could be about Star Wars. Diego Luna met Gareth Edwards at an empty restaurant, with the director waiting for him at the back of the restaurant with a laptop on the table. All the secrecy aside, Rogue One’s director walked Luna through the entire film, focusing on Cassian Andor’s point of view.
9 Diego Luna Didn’t See Himself In Star Wars At First
When asked by Gareth Edwards to play Cassian in Rogue One, Diego Luna said that he did not see himself in Star Wars. Despite being a Star Wars fan, Luna never thought that joining the Star Wars universe was possible. The actor noted how “no one has [his] accent” in Star Wars. Fortunately, that scenario has changed. Diego Luna’s leading roles in Rogue One and Andor were a landmark in terms of representativity for Latino actors in Star Wars and Hollywood as a whole.
8 Andor Showrunner Wanted It To Steer Away From Star Wars Tropes
Andor creator Tony Gilroy purposely tried to avoid Star Wars tropes and anything that felt too familiar in the context of the franchise. Diego Luna revealed that the idea was to tell a Star Wars story from the point of view of characters that you do not really follow in the movies, going for a more grounded take rather than a fantastical one. Gilroy’s decision worked perfectly for Andor, as the show delivered something completely different from other Star Wars stories. This unique take on Star Wars will continue in Andor season 2.
7 Hayden Christensen Though His Star Wars Days Were Behind Him
Hayden Christensen did not think that he would play Anakin Skywalker again after Revenge of the Sith. In theory, Anakin’s story was over in Revenge of the Sith, which covered the birth of Darth Vader. On one hand, Christensen was happy to go back to being a Star Wars fan and not necessarily part of it. On the other hand, the actor revealed that he still missed the galaxy far, far, away. Neither the Star Wars sequels nor Rogue One revisited Christensen’s Darth Vader. Fortunately, Obi-Wan Kenobi did.
6 Returning For Obi-Wan Was An Easy Yes For Hayden Christensen
Despite enjoying being just a Star Wars fan for a while, Hayden Christensen revealed that it was easy to say yes to the Obi-Wan Kenobi show. Just the thought of returning to the Star Wars universe, now as the actual Darth Vader, seemed enough for the actor to join Obi-Wan Kenobi. Christensen also pointed out that reuniting with his friend Ewan McGregor played a role in his decision. Finally, Christensen noted the importance of Obi-Wan Kenobi director Deborah Chow, who had an understanding of Star Wars and the story the show wanted to tell.
5 Hayden Christensen Enjoyed George Lucas’ Take On Anakin’s Backstory
George Lucas subverted audiences’ expectations with Anakin Skywalker’s origin story in the Star Wars prequels. Instead of following Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker from the beginning, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace featured a nine-year-old Anakin. Likewise, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones followed a still young Padawan Anakin, a very different person from Darth Vader. Christensen enjoyed that direction, pointing out how “it humanized” Darth Vader and made him a more compelling character.
4 Star Wars Allowed Hayden Christensen To Be More Selective
Joining the Star Wars universe in a leading role is massive for any actor. Hayden Christensen acknowledged how playing Anakin Skywalker in two Star Wars movies “gave [him] a career”, and “financial stability.” It also allowed him to be more selective when it comes to picking roles. Christensen was able to join independent films and smaller projects as a result of his run in Star Wars. The actor revealed that he was not focused on “navigating a career” but rather in improve himself as an actor and playing characters that would challenge him.
3 Diego Luna Kept Andor’s Jacket From Rogue One
Diego Luna kept a souvenir from Rogue One, and it could not have been a better one – Cassian Andor’s jacket. Luna joked about how he only joined Rogue One because of Cassian’s jacket, which fit him perfectly. Rogue One takes place in a very short period, which means that each character had a definitive look for most of the film. Cassian’s jacket defined the character’s look, although this is now changing with the Andor series. Andor season 1 covered multiple different days in Cassian’s life, after all.
2 Diego Luna Was A Star Wars Action-Figure Collector Like Most Fans
Like many Star Wars fans, Diego Luna went through the experience of pre-ordering a Darth Vader figure at a toy store and having to wait three months for it to arrive. Luna continued pre-ordering Star Wars toys as a teenager despite his friends saying it was “not cool anymore.” Luna mentioned how now there were Cassian Andor toys on the shelves as soon as Rogue One premiered, making it a lot easier to collect Star Wars figures.
1 Christensen & Luna Believe That Star Wars Is Bigger Than Any Actor
Both Hayden Christensen and Diego Luna believe that Star Wars is bigger than any actor. They both noted how being on a massive Star Wars project that everyone wants to see does not mean that such a level of success will always be carried away to their other projects. Christensen even said that acknowledging that Star Wars is bigger than any of the actors is a “healthy thing.” Likewise, Luna mentioned that being in Star Wars grants actors a connection that they will not find anywhere else.
