Darth Vader Actor Shares Two of His Favorite ‘Star Wars’ Films (And He Isn’t in Them)

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Hayden Christensen, famous for playing Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels, recently shared his two favorite scenes featuring Darth Vader. While he portrayed Skywalker’s transformation into the iconic villain in those films, Christensen surprisingly chose moments that weren’t from the prequels themselves.

According to GamesRadar+, Hayden Christensen recently attended Fan Expo Boston and took part in a Star Wars discussion. When asked which films in the series he enjoyed the most, Christensen emphasized that he’s not only an actor who appeared in the Star Wars movies, but also a dedicated fan.

I’ve always been a huge fan of The Empire Strikes Back. More recently, I really enjoyed Rogue One. I thought it perfectly captured the heart of what Star Wars should be, and I especially loved their portrayal of Darth Vader in that movie.

Many talented people helped create this character, and I’m just one part of that team. I really admired their work.

Many fans consider The Empire Strikes Back to be one of the greatest Star Wars movies and one of the best sequels of all time. The film significantly develops Darth Vader’s character and features the iconic “Imperial March” theme song. When people think of Vader’s most powerful scenes, those from The Empire Strikes Back often come to mind.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is widely considered one of the best installments in the Star Wars franchise in recent years. Despite a mixed reception to the sequel trilogy and the many new TV shows and spin-off films, Rogue One has proven to be a particularly successful expansion of the original story. The film’s journey to the screen wasn’t simple; it was first proposed by visual effects expert John Knoll in the early 2000s, but didn’t actually begin production until the 2010s. Numerous writers worked on the script, and the movie went through extensive reshoots. Ultimately, despite a troubled production, the final film doesn’t show any signs of those difficulties.

The 2016 film earned over $1 billion worldwide, and despite its incredibly high production costs – it’s known as one of the most expensive movies ever made – Disney and Lucasfilm considered it a huge success. Critics generally liked it too, giving it an 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with audiences scoring it even higher at 87%. By comparison, the final film in the sequel series, The Rise of Skywalker, only received a 51% rating from critics.

Does Darth Vader’s Presence in ‘Rogue One’ Make Any Sense?


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Be warned: this contains spoilers for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Hayden Christensen’s work in Star Wars helped explain the villain’s history. While Darth Vader appears briefly in Rogue One, his scene is powerful and memorable. He only shows up at the very end, disrupting the rebels’ mission and demonstrating his mastery of the lightsaber. However, that’s all there is to his appearance.

Darth Vader’s appearance in Rogue One is a treat for fans and cleverly ties the film to the original Star Wars trilogy. While it works within the story, it wasn’t strictly needed. Like Princess Leia’s brief appearance, it feels natural and earned, and Michael Giacchino’s take on “The Imperial March” is a fantastic reimagining of the classic theme.

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2025-11-29 18:41