Before Returning To Star Wars 17 Years Later, Hayden Christensen Found Another Passion In Life

Before Returning To Star Wars 17 Years Later, Hayden Christensen Found Another Passion In Life
Image credit: Lucasfilm Ltd, Entertainment One

In the years between his appearance in Episode III and his return to the franchise in Obi-Wan Kenobi, the course of the actor's life changed completely.

To say that Hayden Christensen 's portrayal of Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequel trilogy was controversial would be an understatement, as many fans of the franchise expressed their distaste and even hatred for the actor.

They accused him of making the character who would become arguably the most famous movie villain of all time look like an angsty teenager, and the cringe-inducing dialogue only made things worse.

Now, however, the situation has changed significantly, as many fans celebrated his return to Star Wars in 2022's Obi-Wan Kenobi TV series, where he reprised the role of Anakin in several flashbacks, but mostly played his dark alter ego, Darth Vader.

His appearance in the recently concluded Ahsoka TV series was a redemption of sorts for the actor, as this time his appearances as Anakin were more significant.

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With well-written dialog and good direction, Christensen proved that he was a perfect fit for the role all along and absolutely nailed the portrayal of Ahsoka's former master.

But what did he do between his appearance in Episode III – Revenge of the Sith in 2005 and his return to the franchise 17 years later?

It's safe to say that his role in Star Wars was the biggest of his acting career, because although he continued to appear on the big screen in the years that followed, those films were not nearly as high profile, and many of them received bad or mixed reviews.

But Christensen found another passion in life – farming, which he became interested in around 2007 when he bought a farm near Uxbridge, Ontario, and later described as a hobby in various interviews.

Over the years, it has become more than that, as Hayden has lived on the farm with his family ever since, and has been spotted several times at Canadian farmer's markets selling his crops.

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He even had a collaboration with Canadian fashion chain RW&Co to release a menswear line inspired by his farm.

During his recent appearance at Fan Expo Denver 2023, the actor revealed that he is still busy working on his land, having purchased construction equipment to dig holes and built four ponds on his farm.

Although he still appears in movies from time to time, as his latest project was the 2019 Argentinian-Canadian sci-fi film The Last Man, it's clear that perhaps acting and farming have swapped places for him over the years, as the former now looks more like a hobby for him.

Source: YouTube