In response to his comeback as Darth Vader, fans were able to personally shower him with affection at Star Wars Celebration, and Hayden Christensen was filled with emotion and teary-eyed.
In the Disney Plus TV series Obi-Wan Kenobi, the actor made his long-awaited reappearance as the Jedi-turned-Sith Anakin Skywalker, reuniting with Ewan McGregor in the title character.
In the prequel films Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, which were released in 2002 and 2005, respectively, the two previously acted against one another.
Over the Easter weekend, ardent fans of the series travelled from all over the world to London’s Star Wars Celebration, where a panel including the cast and director of Obi-Wan Kenobi was conducted in addition to one-on-one interviews with the cast members.
Crowds gathered around the platform as Hayden, 41, spoke with an interviewer in-person while on the live stage and highlighted how important it was to him to be recognised and regarded in such high regard.
After being met by rapturous applause and cheers, he told the audience: ‘Man, you guys sure know how to make a guy feel good. That was very nice, thank you.’
‘We love you Hayden!’ one person yelled out, as he responded: ‘I love you guys too.’
‘You’re making me emotional!’ he then added, turning around to look at the many faces in the crowd, while giving subtle but humble nods in their direction.
At one point during the chat, the Canadian actor was asked: ‘What has been the best part about fan reaction, reception to Anakin over the years that you’ve played him?’
‘I mean – this,’ he responded, chuckling before sitting forward and appearing to wipe a tear from his eye.
His voice sounded as though it was starting to crack up as he continued: ‘I mean, this… I can’t tell you how much this means to me.’
Paying homage to the Star Wars aficionados attending the event, he said: ‘To get to be here with all of you, see all of the love that you have for this franchise.
‘To see all the incredible costumes… it’s a very unique thing that we all get to be a part of and I’m very grateful for that.’
When asked to deliver one more final message to the fans, Hayden concluded by saying: ‘I love you guys too.
‘I’ve said this before, but you guys really are the reason that we get to be here and that I’ve gotten to come back and play this character again. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you.’
One fan who left a comment on the YouTube video noted that Hayden appeared to get “teary-eyed” throughout the discussion, and other viewers admitted to feeling the same way.
Hayden and Ewan were joined by Deborah Chow, the show’s director, as well as Vivien Lyra Blair and Indira Varma, who played Tala Durith and Princess Leia Organa, respectively, for the Obi-Wan Kenobi panel.
Ewan, 52, said how he was “proud” that the series’ narrative was adjusted to centre on the young Princess Leia rather than her twin brother Luke Skywalker as it had initially been intended.
‘I didn’t really know what the story would be, but that was the starting place. It went through different iterations. It was a story about Obi-Wan and Luke for a while, and then I can’t remember exactly when that changed,’ he recollected.
‘It was a great change. I’m so proud that it’s a story about Obi-Wan and Leia.’
Obi-Wan Kenobi is available to watch on Disney Plus.
Source My Celebrity Life.
