He had a prominent career up untill he decided to do star wars .All actors shouldn't join star wars because it would destroy their carrer and now the next victim of this thing would be aiden due to solo film
shareI agree! It doesn't help that Hayden was relatively unknown prior to accepting Star Wars. People think that he's a bad actor. Forgetting that he was nominated for a Golden Globe for Life as a House and got rave reviews for Shattered Glass. It's quite sad to see that almost everything he's done after SW has been garbage.
shareYep. Ewan McGregor and Natalie Portman were every bit as bad as Christensen in these films and their careers have thrived. While there was no evidence that he was a particularly distinguished actor, he does not deserve the bashing which he and his career have suffered.
Hayden Christensen was pretty good in Shattered Glass and in the play This is Our Youth, which I saw him in in London many years ago.
Oh no I'm sorry! They weren't HALF as bad as this guy was. I'm not difficult about actors but man was he reading his lines! Complete lack of ease and everything in his rendition looked unnatural. He was horrible !
Star Wars may have destroyed his career but he destroyed Anakin. Darth Vader was a larger than life character. An epic and charismatic villain. How is anyone supposed to believe he was that spoiled brat, pronouncing the next sentence in the same way a kid demands his cotton candy at the fair: "One day, I will become the greatest Jedi EVER. "
I will childishly say, in the same tone, "Worst casting. EVER."
I agree that the Vader we see in the OT doesn't seem like the same character we see in the PT.
But with that said, I actually enjoy the prequel films, as a whole, more than the OT and Hayden grew on me over time. Revenge of the Sith is the best film of the franchise, in my opinion.
He has yet to grow on me.. even after all these years. I agree with you about "Revenge of the Sith", though.
shareMaybe it's like Stockholm Syndrome. And also he seems like a nice guy in real life, so that helps.
BTW if you want to see an interesting documentary about the prequels, I'd recommend this one:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VGyv85zitYg
It's a nice suggestion. Thank you!
I'm thinking most of it comes from George Lucas's poor directing and writing.
shareI agree with you in part. It's true that Anakin's lines were very weak. Which is weird because all the other ones (including other trilogies too) don't sound as childish and stupid except for Kylo Ren. But Adam Driver actually made the character believable (I'm not being ironic, I'm actually complimenting the actor). And yet, in Anakin's case, I stand convinced that any other actor could have had the same lines and say them with a lot more credibility.
To me it always felt like Lucas had a gut feeling that this unknown actor could be a big revelation a bit like Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher were. Only difference... these actors were good. I still don't understand how he could audition Hayden Christensen, give him his stupid lines to read and think "THAT'S the man I'm looking for! THAT's young Darth Vader !" 🤦♂️
But yeah... the lines he got didn't help.
"I will childishly say, in the same tone, "Worst casting. EVER." "
I have wondered how James Franco would have managed as Anakin. He made a great dark and gloomy young fella in Raimi's Spiderman.
Samuel L Jackson was noticeably bad as well. My gosh, I guess bad dialogue and a stiff story line will drag anyone down.
sharehe did not have a prominent career before star wars, nobody knew who he was. star wars catapulted him into stardom and a series of bad movie choices (jumper) killed his career.
shareHey, Jumper was probably his biggest hit outside of Star Wars!
shareYeah, I'd say jumper was probably his best move. It had a promising premise, talented director, fantastic supporting cast, and was decently executed.
If anything I think Jumper suffered from casting Him as their lead. I think Hayden is underrated but his performance in jumper was atrocious. The scene play and dialogue were weak but it still didn't stop SLJ and Jamie Bell from delivering solid performances.
Jumper as actually a very good pop-corn movie. Leave Jumper alone :)
shareA monumental lack of talent was also a factor.
shareBecause a proyect is huge doesn't meant is going to be good for you to have a prominent role in it, this guy never was destiny to be a great actor but is not as bad as people put him, i have seen a lot of bad actors and dont receive the same backlash than this guy
shareAt least he wasn't trashed as much as Jake Lloyd
shareNo movie can destroy anyone’s career. Careers are destroyed when actors are not good enough at acting or lack charisma.
Hayden is simply not good enough actor. He had the look. And that "bad boy in making" look for which he was hired in Star Wars. But he couldn’t deliver that conflicted side of Anakin that was required. He felt flat while doing it. While Adam Driver is actually talented actor and could pull off Kylo Ren and that role started his career as movie star and he does movie after movie now. Despite people hating those Star Wars movies. While Daisy Ridley has very little talent and disappeared after movies ended.
And that Hayden reason he flopped in his other movies. Happens to a lot of young actors. Star Wars is the reason anyone can remember him at all. If it wasnt for that he would be like Ryan Phillippe, American Pie actors, Freddie Prinz junior and others - long forgotten. Not every hot young actor becomes movie star with long career.
When actor is talented - he will overcome any flop. Its untalented who cant. Natalie Portman, Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor survived fine.
Alden Ehrenreich is not a leading man material. He is supporting. And Solo fame is at least some fame. Without it no one would even heard of him at all. Since he was no one before it.