The first Star Wars prequel movie, The Phantom Menace, landed in theaters over 25 years ago. The role of Anakin Skywalker was initially played by Jake Lloyd, but when Attack of the Clones came around in 2002, George Lucas and the team were tasked with finding an older actor to portray the older version.
For the teenaged Anakin, they found their star in Hayden Christensen, who was a relatively unknown actor at the time, at least compared to others vying for the role. Christensen did a great job in Attack of the Clones and follow-up Revenge of the Sith (even if some scenes have become hilarious memes over the years), and the actor has returned to the role in recent years in shows like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka. And he's not done; he'll turn up as Anakin Skywalker once more in Ahsoka season 2, which is due out next year.
But things could have turned out very differently. In an interview with Variety, actor Ryan Phillippe weighed in on his near-miss with the iconic role. Phillippe broke out as a superstar actor in the late '90s with roles in Cruel Intentions, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and 54. Auditioning for Anakin was a huge opportunity for him.
"Being a kid born in the ’70s, I was like, ‘What a dream that would’ve been,'" Phillippe said. "But I think things happen for a reason and it’s easy to make peace with that. Part of what we have to develop as actors is that thick skin that comes along with rejection or maybe things not going the way you wanted in a particular project or potential job. There’s an element of being able to let go and release and not spend too much time thinking about those things."
Phillippe remains busy to this day, appearing in TV shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine and movies like Prey. Who knows how things might have been different had he been in the Star Wars prequel trilogy? Of course, there were a ton of huge actors who also sought after the role of Anakin. We're talking names like Leonardo DiCaprio, Joshua Jackson, and James Van Der Beek. The role was among the most desired in the industry at the time. But we can't complain about Christensen; imagine living in a world where he doesn't moan about sand?
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