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Hayden Christensen Explains Why He Didn't Think He'd Be Cast in 'Star Wars,' Talks Negative Reaction to Prequel Movies

Hayden Christensen is opening up about his Star Wars experience.

The 42-year-old actor made his debut in 2002′s Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones playing a young Anakin Skywalker. The movie and its successor charted Anakin’s descent into the Dark Side of the Force, ending with him becoming the villainous Darth Vader. Of course, fans were already familiar with Darth from the original trilogy.

In a new interview with Empire, Hayden reflected on his role in the iconic franchise.

He explained why he never thought he’d land the role and also looked back on negative reactions to the movies when they first came out. Hayden even revealed one costar who he apologized to years after filming the movies.

Scroll through the slideshow for the biggest takeaways from Hayden Christensen’s interview…

13 Actors Were in the Running for Hayden Christensen's 'Star Wars' Role (, & an Oscar Winner Reportedly Said No!)

Hayden Christensen landed what was Hollywood’s biggest role at the time when he was cast as Anakin Skywalker in 2002′s Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. We have since learned that he beat out some serious A-listers for the role!

The Star Wars prequel movies tracked Anakin’s evolution from a talented young child through his descent into the Dark Side of the Force. It ended with him ultimately becoming Darth Vader, the villainous character fans of the franchise were already familiar with from creator George Lucas‘ first trio of movies.

1999′s Episode I – The Phantom Menace introduced Anakin as a child played by Jake Lloyd. However, a 10-year time lapse meant that the role had to be recast for the sequel. Before Hayden booked the part, 300 actors reportedly auditioned.

Over the years, 13 of those actors have been identified. The list includes a fan-favorite movie star who seemingly turned the role down for a simple reason.

Scroll through a rundown of all the actors who were in the running to play a young Darth Vader in the Star Wars movies…

Hayden Christensen Photo Gallery

Natalie Portman & Hayden Christensen Discuss 'Star Wars' Concerns Ahead of Saga's 25th Anniversary

Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman took on two of the most iconic roles in the Star Wars prequel movies.

Natalie brought Padmé Amidala to life starting in 1999′s The Phantom Menace, while Hayden was brought on to play Anakin Skywalker starting with 2002′s Attack of the Clones. His character’s descent into the Dark Side let to him becoming Darth Vader and set the scene for the original trio of movies.

In a forthcoming feature celebrating the 25th anniversary of Phantom Menace, the former costars looked back on the pressure of joining such an iconic franchise and opened up about how it affected their careers.

Keep reading to find out more…More Here! »

13 Actors Were Considered for Anakin in 'Star Wars' Before Hayden Christensen Was Cast (An Oscar Winner Reportedly Turned It Down!)

Hayden Christensen landed what was Hollywood’s biggest role at the time when he was cast as Anakin Skywalker in 2002′s Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, and he did so after beating out some serious A-listers for the role!

The Star Wars prequel movies tracked Anakin’s evolution from a talented young child through his descent into the Dark Side of the Force. It ended with him ultimately becoming Darth Vader, the villainous character fans of the franchise were already familiar with from creator George Lucas‘ first trio of movies.

1999′s Episode I – The Phantom Menace introduced Anakin as a child played by Jake Lloyd. However, a 10-year time lapse meant that the role had to be recast for the sequel. Before Hayden booked the part, 300 actors reportedly auditioned.

Over the years, 13 of those actors have been identified. The list includes a fan-favorite movie star who seemingly turned the role down for a simple reason.

Scroll through a rundown of all the actors who were in the running to play a young Darth Vader in the Star Wars movies…

13 Actors Were Considered to Play Anakin in 'Star Wars' Before Hayden Christensen Was Cast (An A-Lister Reportedly Turned the Offer Down!)

Hayden Christensen landed what was Hollywood’s biggest role at the time when he was cast as Anakin Skywalker in 2002′s Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, and he did so after beating out some serious A-listers for the role!

The Star Wars prequel movies tracked Anakin’s evolution from a talented young child through his descent into the Dark Side of the Force. It ended with him ultimately becoming Darth Vader, the villainous character fans of the franchise were already familiar with from creator George Lucas‘ first trio of movies.

1999′s Episode I – The Phantom Menace introduced Anakin as a child played by Jake Lloyd. However, a 10-year time lapse meant that the role had to be recast for the sequel. Before Hayden booked the part, 300 actors reportedly auditioned.

Over the years, 13 of those actors have been identified, including a fan-favorite movie star who seemingly turned the role down for a simple reason.

Scroll through a rundown of all the actors who were in the running to play a young Darth Vader in the Star Wars movies…

Rachel Bilson Dating History: Every Famous Ex-Boyfriend Revealed

Rachel Bilson made some candid comments about her sex life earlier this year and it definitely made fans curious to know more about her dating history.

The 41-year-old The O.C. actress was interviewing comedian Whitney Cummings on her Broad Ideas podcast when they talked about orgasms.

During their chat, Whitney shared that now that she wasn’t “on birth control, my sex drive … by the way, I’m going to say this, wild thing. To say: I have not had an orgasm from sex until I went off birth control.”

“Never had it in my life until I turned 40 … But I could do it with my hands,” she then explained.

Rachel agreed with her, revealing that “it didn’t happen for me until I was about 38. Isn’t that crazy?” She then shared that she was able to orgasm on her own, but “not with, like, d*** inside.”

Browse through the slideshow to look back at Rachel Bilson’s dating history…

New 'Star Wars: Ahsoka' Trailer Hints At Hayden Christensen Return as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader - Watch!

Ahsoka is seemingly confirming that Anakin Skywalker is involved in the newest Star Wars series!

There were rumors that Hayden Christensen would return as the character in the series, and now it looks like Lucasfilm is confirming fans’ theories.

Keep reading to find out more…More Here! »