ObiWanKenobi star Hayden Christensen says he had to bulk up a bit to fill out Darth Vader's suit, calling the StarWars show's physical preparation 'intense.'
Hayden Christensen says that he had to bulk up to fill out the Darth Vader suit in the Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ series. Christensen first played Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels, who turned to the dark side and became Darth Vader in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. The actor donned the famous suit for two scenes in the prequel finale and is now set to wear it again for Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Obi-Wan Kenobi takes place ten years after the events of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, which finds Ewan McGregor back in the titular role, hiding from The Empire on Tatooine while keeping a watchful eye over Vader's son, Luke Skywalker. In addition to McGregor and Christensen, the show also stars Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Moses Ingram, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, Sung Kang, Maya Erskine, Kumail Nanjiani, O'Shea Jackson Jr., and Benny Safdie.
In terms of how powerful Christensen's Vader will be, the actor said that this will be "100 percent a fully realized Vader," and that "This is, in a lot of ways, Vader in his prime." Darth Vader most recently appeared in 2016's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which featured the Sith Lord in two scenes, including an end battle that many see as the highlight of the film.
In addition to Obi-Wan Kenobi, Christensen is set to reprise the role of Anakin Skywalker in the Ashoka series with Rosario Dawson as well, which will likely be in a flashback or possibly as a Force ghost. It's unclear if he'll appear as Vader in that series, but ultimately Christensen is back in the business of Star Wars, which is a welcome treat for fans, particularly prequel fans.