Hayden Christensen: Ranking his top five movies roles of all-time

NEW YORK – OCTOBER 28: (U.S. TABS AND HOLLYWOOD REPORTER OUT) Actors Chloe Sevigny and Hayden Christensen attend the “Shattered Glass” screening after-party at Hue, October 28, 2003 in New York City. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Getty Images)

2. Shattered Glass (2003)

Shattered Glass was a critical hit. It told the story of journalist Stephen Glass who it turned lied in dozens of articles he wrote for the New Republic. It was based on a true story.

It didn’t get much play in the theaters, but it is widely held as being a good movie. In fact, it’s Christensen best-acted role (though not his most famous). He gave a compelling portrayal of Glass, who rose to notoriety with his stories and then fell just as quickly when he was exposed for lying.

This didn’t require any CGI or special effects. It was just Christensen, exposed and raw.

It’s interesting that two of his best roles include regular people coming to grips with bad situations. In Life as House, he deals with his father’s impending death and in Shattered Glass, he deals with the shame of lying

While I didn’t see Shattered Glass in the theater – remember limited release – I did own the DVD and watched it several times. When it came out, I was an aspiring journalist and definitely gave a few lessons in what not to do.

Glass was a gifted writer, but his moral compass didn’t point the right way and he didn’t have any ethics. Christensen portrayed that well and it resulted in a great movie.