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How Hayden Christensen Really Feels About His Infamous Sand Star Wars Line

In an interview with E! News' new digital series While You Were Streaming, Hayden Christensen revealed how he felt re-watching his most infamous Star Wars scene.

By Paige Strout May 27, 2022 6:26 PMTags
Watch: Obi-Wan Kenobi - While You Were Streaming FULL EPISODE

(Spoilers ahead for the first two episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+.)

We love Hayden Christensen's Star Wars return almost as much as Anakin Skywalker hates sand.

Preparing for the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi required the actor to revisist his previous Star Wars appearances...including his most cringe-worthy line. On the premiere episode of E!'s new digital series While You Were Streaming, Christensen revealed what he really thinks of Anakin's infamous sand line.

"I've never really understood the humor of the scene," Christensen told E! News at the Star Wars Celebration on May 26. "For me, I've always sort of understood Anakin's contempt for sand. And, of course, it's a little bit of a different bit of dialogue, but I never minded it."

The line comes from 2002's Attack of the Clones, as Anakin tells Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman) about his life growing up on the desert planet of Tatooine. "I don't like sand," he tells her. "It's coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere."

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Eventually, Anakin transforms from a sand-hating Jedi to one of the most vicious Sith Lords in the galaxy: Darth Vader.

On transforming back into the iconic Star Wars villain, Christensen told E! News, "That was a big moment for me, my first costume fitting when I went in and had all the Vader bits attached, and of course, putting the helmet on again."

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And while wearing a heavy, all-black ensemble every day seems like a stifling experience, Christensen said the costume team came up with "some tricks to stay cool under the costume." He said, "They have like this Under Armor water circulation device that keeps you cool when you need to."

With the series teasing an exciting rematch between Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Vader after their climactic battle in 2005's Revenge of the Sith, McGregor—who also appeared on While You Were Streaminglearned some new lightsaber tricks while training for the show.

"Hayden developed one which is a spin behind the back and then in front. If you saw it, you'd recognize it," McGregor explained. "And I never quite mastered it back in the prequel days ‘cause it was like Hayden's signature move."

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Working with the show's stunt coordinator, he eventually nailed the trick. "And I was like, ‘Oh, now I've got him,'" McGregor joked. "'Now I've got Hayden.'" Perhaps Obi-Wan will use Vader's own move against him later this season? We can only hope.

Check out the full premiere episode of E! News' While You Were Streaming above, and tune in every week for new episodes on E! News' Twitter page (@enews).

New episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi premiere Wednesdays on Disney+.

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