Feature: Star Wars

Star Wars: Episode III is without doubt the most eagerly awaited film of the year, and Hayden Christensen tells us why it will be absolutely worth the wait

Hayden Christensen proves to be charming, witty, polite and practically immovable as Film Review pleads with him to open up about just some of the goodies in store within the upcoming Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.

Now, we know that in this keenly anticipated final part of the Star Wars saga the Clone Wars are almost over and the young Canadian is transformed from Anakin Skywalker into the evil Darth Vader. But that’s about it. In typical, tantalizing, George Lucas style the rest of what will occur in the movie-maker’s conclusion to this iconic Sci-Fi epic is shrouded in enough secrecy, speculation and rumour to fuel another movie script.

It’s an understandable tactic by the film-maker, who is only too well aware of the box office pulling power of Star Wars. Since the anticipation for the Revenge of the Sith is greater than any of the previous space adventures, however, not knowing all the juicy details becomes even more unbearable. So pesky journalists like me keep trying to squeeze another teeny titbit of information out of Hayden.

But the 24-year-old actor has become as adept in side-stepping any attempts to glean nuggets of information as he is at handling a light sabre. He admits that in the five years or so since he was snatched from obscurity to be groomed for his portrayal of Luke Skywalker’s father – Anakin/Vader – he’s had to discover how best to put people off when they persist in wanting to know what happens on screen in a galaxy far, far away this time round.

“It’s become a bit of a skill that I have learned to talk about something without actually revealing any details,” says Hayden. “But obviously everyone is very keen to see this next one. And for good reason! It has been almost 30 years of film-making, leading up to the telling of this story. And it pays off in every respect...”

Teasingly, he tails off on that note, cleverly feeding our expectation without revealing very much at all. But then it appears as though there’s an intriguing glimpse of the Dark Side when Hayden talks about the level of hi-tech secrecy that surrounds the making of this Star Wars movie.

“All the scripts are encoded,” he says, and Film Review’s ears perk up, sensing something revelatory. “Apparently they are genetically encoded, with the DNA of both George [Lucas] and Rick McCallum, the producer.” It’s starting to sound as though something extraordinary – even by Lucasfilm standards – has been taking place on this production, and then Hayden bursts into hoots of laughter. “No, I’m kidding. The scripts are all numbered and they only give out so many scripts and they are all on paper that is photocopy proof.”

by John Millar

Get the full interview in
Film Review (May)

Photo © Lucasfilm Ltd
Feature © Visual Imagination 2005. Not for reproduction

Taken from

Film Review (May)
#656, May 2005
ships from Mar 24 2005
News-stand Price
UK £3.99 / US $7.95

Buy it now!

VI DIRECT
Stores Info

You can order any of
our magazines via this
secure service.
To buy this issue:

To SUBSCRIBE to
FILM REVIEW, use these
links to our stores: