Why did Hayden Christensen stop acting?

Best known for his portrayal of the young Anakin Skywalker in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, few are aware of Canadian actor Hayden Christensen’s life outside of Star Wars. So why don’t we see as much of him anymore?

The truth is, Christensen never stopped acting. Even before the Star Wars prequels, the actor was beginning to make a name for himself. In 1999, he was in the cult classic Sofia Coppola film The Virgin Suicides alongside Kirsten Dunst.

After Star Wars, Christensen’s biggest film was 2008’s Jumper that reunited him with fellow Jedi actor Samuel L. Jackson. It was here he would also meet his partner of 10 years, Rachel Bilson. He was also in a 2014 American-Chinese co-production with Nicolas Cage called Outcast and was recently in a rom-com with Emma Roberts called Little Italy.

What happened to Hayden Christensen after Star Wars?

While Christensen has maintained his acting career post-Star Wars, it’s fair to say that there are few things that can live up to being in the galaxy far, far away. In recent years, Christensen seems to be embracing his Star Wars heritage in a more direct way. He made an appearance at Star Wars Celebration 2017 after having not participated in the event for over a decade.

Christensen also, of course, reprised his role as Anakin Skywalker for The Rise of Skywalker as one of the many Force ghost voices that communicated with Rey. While this was only a voice role, Christensen will be reportedly returning in the flesh for the upcoming series Obi-Wan Kenobi alongside his former co-star Ewan McGregor.

If the claimed release date of 2022 is maintained, it will mark 20 years since we first laid eyes on the actor in his Episode II debut. With Christensen seemingly making a return to Star Wars, this could mean we see even more of the actor in the future.

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