
Hayden Christensen was just 19 years old when he was cast as Anakin Skywalker, the man who would evolve into Darth Vader, in the Star Wars prequel trilogy
Released between 1999 and 2005, the three Star Wars prequels explored Anakin Skywalker's backstory, with child actor Jake Lloyd playing the nine-year-old version of Anakin in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and Hayden Christensen playing the young adult version of Anakin in the following two films, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
It was set to be the role of a lifetime. And somehow, despite having limited leading man experience, Christensen was handpicked for the role out of a pool of more than 1,500 candidates.
Watch the trailer for Little Italy, starring Hayden Christensen and Emma Roberts, below. Post continues after video.
At the time, the teenager had never set foot on a major film set before.
"When Hayden came for his first meeting, I opened the door, and I just suddenly became flushed, because I knew. I sat him down and looked at him through the camera, and all of a sudden, I could feel goosebumps," casting director Robin Gurland said.
"I couldn't get too excited, because it's just the initial meeting, but by the end of it, I just knew that Anakin had walked in the door. I literally picked up the phone and called George and said, 'Anakin just walked in.'"
When the sci-fi films were released, they were attended by millions, breaking records worldwide.
The prequels were long-awaited, and fans were excited to return to a world that they thought they'd never see again.
But creator and director George Lucas didn't get the response he was anticipating.
Overwhelmingly, the prequels garnered mixed and negative reviews from critics and fans alike.
And instead of setting Christensen on a path to more high-profile film roles, the harsh reviews of the prequels led the Canadian actor to fade into obscurity.