Hayden Christensen Still Gets A Big Laugh Out Of This Encounter With George Lucas
Darth Vader may not seem like someone blessed with a sense of humor, but the character has definitely managed to get off some memorable bon mots over the course of his varied appearances in the "Star Wars" franchise. And it turns out that one of the actors who has played him gets a kick out of some of the things that happened to him on various "Star Wars"-related sets over the years as well. We're not talking about that time Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) had a heart-to-heart with Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) over how much he hates the gritty feeling of sand on his form. That one just made the audience laugh (per Know Your Meme).
In recent weeks, "Star Wars" fans have gotten their first looks at Christensen back on the clock and under the mask as Darth Vader for the Disney+ limited series "Obi-Wan Kenobi." Ahead of his appearance on the program, he spoke out about life on the set of the prequel trilogy. Of course, Christensen previously portrayed the character that becomes Darth Vader in 2002's "Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones" and 2005's "Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith". In speaking about his time spent working on those movies, the actor recounted a moment he shared with director, producer, and "Star Wars" grand poohbah George Lucas that still gives him a giggle years later.
The actor made up a whole dialect for Attack of the Clones
During a June 2022 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Hayden Christensen was asked to pick one prequel-trilogy moment of which he is the proudest. In response, Christensen recalled the time he had to improvise an alien dialect overnight because George Lucas didn't have a language prepared for him.
The moment occurred on the set of "Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones." During the film, Anakin, Padme, and their droids go back to Anakin's home planet of Tatooine in the hope of locating his mother, Shmi (Pernilla August). At this point, Anakin hasn't seen Shmi in ten years, since he left home to begin training as a Jedi. In the midst of his search, Anakin has an unpleasant conversation with his old friend, the alien Watto. Watto can be heard in his own unique language, referred to in the "Star Wars" universe and in scripts as "Wattanese."
"It wasn't until the day before we started filming that I went to George, and I was like, 'What should Wattanese sound like?' And he was like, 'Well, you know, so long as it doesn't sound like English or any other language that might sound familiar. You can just make it up,'" the actor told the magazine.
Christensen then laughed as he recalled composing the language the night before the scene was shot. "[E]very time I see that scene, I get a bit of a kick out of it." The scene — and evidence of Christensen's talents at preplanning — made it intact into the film, a tribute to the actor's ability to think on his feet.