Since Carrie Fisher’s passing in 2016, Star Wars fans have braced themselves for the next alumni to cut their Earthly tether. But no amount of preparation could harden us for the inevitable loss of James Earl Jones on Sept 9. His impressive baritone sent shivers down generations of fans’ spines as the villainous Darth Vader, undoubtedly becoming one of the most memorable voices in cinema history.
His rumbling tone is so synonymous with the character that Jones gave Disney post-mortem rights to use an AI-generated version, embodying the villain forever more. Despite his near lockdown on Darth Vader, Jones was only one of many moving parts to bring the monolithic Sith to life. That formidable voice is a key aspect of Vader, but actors David Prowse and Hayden Christensen are the men behind the mask. And Christensen is ready to get back in the saddle.
Christensen’s willingness to return to the role that both made his acting career – and broke his will to stay in the business – comes on the heels of Obi-Wan Kenobi actor Ewan McGregor’s ascension to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Christensen inducted his co-star with a tear-jerking speech detailing the pair’s perfect bromance. Christensen, who played Anakin Skywalker, Kenobi’s apprentice, was attacked by fans and critics for his portrayal of the young Darth Vader, eventually disappearing from the spotlight for several years before emerging victorious during the Disney Plus series Obi-Wan Kenobi and eventually Ahsoka.
Calling McGregor the “coolest person on the planet,” Christensen launched into a picture-perfect meeting between master and apprentice before filming began for Star Wars: Episode II.
“I was so excited… I was already just a huge fan of his… Before I can even put eyes on him, I hear his voice, and he exclaims my name with more enthusiasm than I think I’d ever heard it spoken with before… He comes and just gives me the biggest hug, the most disarmingly warm embrace… He’s just beyond kind to me and it was immediately apparent that I was meeting someone truly special. Not just as an actor, but as a person. And that I was meeting a friend.”
To break the tear-inducing tension, Christensen joked, “A friend who would chop both my legs off and leave me for dead on the side of a volcano, but I guess I kinda had that coming.”
The fandom was far from kind to Christensen in the wake of the prequel trilogy, but as the kids who loved the film got older, their voices grew louder than the adults who rallied against them. Christensen has certainly felt that outpouring of goodwill, finally emerging from self-imposed isolation to return to the comic con circuit – and fans couldn’t be happier to see his triumphant return.
The outpouring of love has solidified Christensen’s desire to return to the franchise – but only on the condition that he gets to work alongside his former master once again.
“If it means that I got to do more with Ewan, then that’s a no-brainer, but I really hope that he continues with the character,” Christensen told Variety. “Just as a fan, it’s so exciting to get to watch him play Obi-Wan — he’s just so good at it.”
Some might find it odd, even insensitive, that the actor is talking about reprising a character that Jones truly immortalized with his voice. But this is not the usual case of an actor trying to cash in on the nostalgia — it is an artist finally finding the love and admiration that initially failed to find him in the face of the roaring criticism.
Disney is certainly in hot water with the fandom over its recent choices – here’s lookin’ at you, The Acolyte – but you can’t deny the media giant’s success in giving well-deserved second chances. Jar Jar actor Ahmed Best has reemerged alongside Christensen as a man who was pushed to the brink over hate comments, but whom fans never forgot.
As one of those kids who adored Christensen and McGregor’s additions to the franchise, I welcome his desire to return – especially if it’s a two-for-one deal.