anyone but Hayden Christensen

[anotheranon]

Every now and then, D. and I watch both Star Wars trilogies, even though we've both seen them a million times each. Both of us grew up with the original 3 and even though the prequels are, ah, somewhat lackluster in the acting department, they've still got good action and effects and aren't a dreadful way to while away a lazy evening.

Having said this, both of us tend to snark at crucial moments in the movies (well, me more than D.) because we've seen them so many times, and often our thoughts turn to what actors would make a better Anakin. The most irksome actor to play the character was the kid from "Phantom Menace", and whenever either of us sees a child actor that shows the tiniest bit of believable emotion we cry out "HE should have been Anakin!"

But my attention turns now to the older Anakin from the prequels played by Hayden Christensen. It's possible he's a good actor in something else* but I've only ever seen him in Star Wars' II and III and he sucks royally. I can't imagine what Padme sees in him and I'm astounded at the total lack of chemistry he and Natalie Portman have on screen. In the end it's no tragedy that he turns to the Dark Side because at least as Darth Vader he has some personality.

So being the big Star Wars geek that I am, I have to wonder who would have made a better teenage Anakin**. Mine and D.'s conclusions:

Jake Gyllenhaal: my current fave for his performance in "Donnie Darko" - he played both the confused, frustrated teen AND the maniacally grinning bunny-hallucinating freak. He has big soulful eyes and he's kinda goofy - I could see Padme falling for the inept young Jedi without even realizing he'll turn into Vader.

Joaquin Phoenix - D.'s suggestion based on his performance in "Quills", in which he plays an earnest, naive young priest tempted by Kate Winslet's laundress, and he's cruel enough in "Gladiator" that I could find him believably slaughtering a tribe of Sand People.

Thoughts? Who would make a better Anakin?

*To be fair, Lucas wasted the good actors that he did get, though Ewan McGregor tried until the end to make a silk purse out of the sow's ear of a script he was given: "You were my brother, Anakin! I loved you!"

**Again, working with the assumption that somehow the lines wouldn't have sounded quite so wooden coming out of another actor's mouth. I think Joss Whedon should have done the dialog for the prequels, but that's just me :P

Comments

[ex-idragosa.livejournal.com]

Ryan Phillipe might have done something with the role also.

Can't exactly say Portman's acting was stellar either... but then again, she had some crappy lines...

[flummoxicated.livejournal.com]

I totally agree with your critique; I've been in a couple of on-line discussions where fangirls can't believe that I don't see the chemistry between the two. ???

[ellid.livejournal.com]

Ewan McGregor was the only live action actor who did more than walk through his part (Frank Oz was his usual excellent self as Yoda, but of course he was only the voice/puppeteer and didn't appear on camera).

And my choice for young Anakin? How about Heath Ledger? He's athletic and dashing enough in his early work to be the handsome and reckless young Jedi, and his work in Brokeback Mountain proved that he's more than a good looking stud.

[tommdroid.livejournal.com]

I have to disagree, strongly, x 2. I think Hayden Christensen was an excellent Anakin. All too young and with sorrow and darkness in his eyes.

I have to agree on the "the total lack of chemistry he and Natalie Portman have on screen" part though. And the dialog all through the movie made me long for Joss Whedon x 3.

[timcharmorbien.livejournal.com]

I still think it's sad that the 'Clone Wars' cartoon did a better job of showing Anakin's slow slide towards the Dark Side than George Lucas did on film. Maybe George should farm out the franchise to Gendy Taratovski and Joss Whedon, I bet they could whip up something good - -

[zen4me.livejournal.com]

Part of me wishes Lucas had just left well enough alone and instead of trying to recreate the magic that is Star Wars. I've yet to see the first prequel or the third, having caught the second one I was thoroughly dismayed to have wasted those few precious hours of my life on that rubbish.

Crap dialog, crap acting, even the lovely Ms Portman couldn't redeem it. Though she is rather easy on the eyes throughout most of the series from the clips I've seen.

On a related note: Are we so spoiled by Whedon's snappy one-liners and witty dialog, that everything else falls short?

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

I think by movie 3 Portman was "phoning it in", but I can't say I blame her - the role got smaller with each film until she was just a prop for Anakin to build his angst around...

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Maybe....

Never did see Brokeback Mountain but he was pretty good in Casanova - I'd have to see him play a bad guy though to make up my mind whether he could do the Dark Side plunge...

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

With equal respect I've got to disagree back - I thought Christensen was totally wooden, at least in Star Wars - but then, none of the actors were given much to work with...

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

On a related note: Are we so spoiled by Whedon's snappy one-liners and witty dialog, that everything else falls short?

I know I certainly am!

To be fair, my own perception of the awesomeness of the original trilogy is likely because I first saw it when I was a very little kid and didn't care about things like dialog or acting - sez more about my nostalgia than about my taste in movies :P When I stand back as an adult, yeah, there were some very kludgy bits in both "New Hope" and "Jedi" (though "Empire" was wonderfully dark and deep).

[semmie17.livejournal.com]

Y'know, you can write your own Anakin by properly formatting Jolee.... *twinkles*