Darth Vader has always been one of the most menacing on-screen villains of all time. And for Hayden Christensen, getting to play in some of that “brutality” was a pretty big draw in returning to the galaxy for the new Disney+ series “Obi-Wan Kenobi.”
Granted, it really wasn’t until “Rogue One” that “Star Wars” fans saw just how terrifyingly violent Vader could be. In the final moments of the film, audiences watched as he tore through a room of rebels, trying to stop them from escaping with the plans for the Death Star, and directly setting up “A New Hope.”
Heading into “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” many wondered and hoped that we would get more of that — and clearly, the answer has been a resounding yes. And knowing that was part of the deal was a huge draw for Christensen.
“I’ve really enjoyed it. And certainly that was a part of the appeal for me was that, you know, we were going to sort of show a different side of this character,” Christensen told TheWrap. “He’s always been a very intimidating character, but there’s a sort of brutality that’s present now. And I think it’s great. You know, some terrifying stuff!”
In Episode 3 alone, we saw Vader torture and kill innocent people who were simply looking on as he searched for Obi-Wan on Mapuzo. Then, when he finally found his former master, Vader made sure Obi-Wan faced some horrendous poetic justice by setting a fire and using the force to drag Obi-Wan across it.
The scene was a vivid callback to Obi-Wan’s final moments with Anakin on Mustafar in “Revenge of the Sith,” and yes, Christensen was just as delighted by it as fans were.
“Yeah, I loved it,” he said. “I mean, there are a lot of really great storytelling sort of callbacks and references to, you know, these other Star Wars stories and when I read that, I was going to burn him back, I thought it was perfect.”
You can watch TheWrap’s full interview with Hayden Christensen in the video above.