According to the Star Wars actor who took the brunt of the criticism when the prequel trilogy came out in the early 2000s, it was mostly the critics who tried to find flaws with the work, but the fans always “got it.”
In a recent chat with Entertainment Weekly to celebrate the premiere of Obi-Wan Kenobi, where Hayden Christensen reprises his role as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader after more than 17 years, the actor addressed what it’s like to take in the shifted view on George Lucas’ then-divisive prequels.
“It’s just so heartwarming. I’ve always felt that the fans got it. That was never in question for me. But certainly, the critics wanted to find all the flaws that they could. If you’re looking for flaws in anything, you can find something. But these stories are for the fans. They’re meant to bring joy and happiness to people, so it means a lot to get to witness that now to the degree that we do. It’s amazing.”
Christensen is certainly right about one thing; George Lucas never made these movies for critics, or cared about what his Hollywood colleagues would’ve otherwise done with them, for that matter.
Now, after all these years, the 41 year-old is finally receiving the appreciation he deserves for bringing Anakin to life on the big screens all those years ago. Star Wars isn’t done with him by any stretch, however, since he’ll soon be portraying Vader in all his menacing terror on Obi-Wan Kenobi, and almost certainly Ahsoka after that.
And after that, who knows? Perhaps Lucasfilm will ask him back for other projects set in the Rebellion era as long as fans remain welcoming of his inclusion. From what we can gather, they don’t seem to be planning to stop that outpouring of love any time soon.