Another possible choice for Anakin.

Boy I will get flack for this, but I have to say it.

I was watching "The Butterfly Effect" last night and realized something that I can't shake. I could easily see Ashton Kutcher playing Anakin over HC any day of the week. Yes, I know he's a pretty boy, yes I know the popularity thing, but I have been racking my brain for a long time trying to think of people who would have been better. And though many would have been BETTER, few would have fit the role, in my opinion. It is very hard to see past Kelso, and this movie made me realize it. I'm not saying he is the best actor in the world, but when compared to HC, you don't need to be.

Any thoughts, other possibilities, or do you all just want to blast me and get it over with?

 

ashton is very good in butterfly effect, but.......star wars...........

.....runs and takes cover.......

 

Well other then his apperance isn't close to Mark Hamil and the Kelso thing as mentioned. Don't get me wrong I loved The Butterfly Effect and felt that he wasn't praised enough for the great ability he had to pull off serious roles I just think few other actors could pull of that. "I'm so far removed or void of any feelings" Hayden can pull off and I think that is vital to playing that part and why Lucas picked him.

 

I think Lucas made the perfect choice.

It's really hard to think of anyone that would come close to matching Hayden in looks (he really DOES look a lot like a young Mark Hamill) and presence.

 

anakin was angry 99% of the time and hayden plays great the " angry " parts.i think it was a very good choice.

 

Ryan Gosling.

Anyone other than HC.

 

I'm with Fat Bird.

Having a degree in theatre, acting, and directing, I would never cast someone simply because of looks. What does looks matter if one cannot act, or pull off a convincing roll.

I am especially serious about this particular role. HC might have been ok as a background Jedi, or an extra....but we are talking about the Lord Darth Vader. The cream of the crop biggest, best, and darkest Villain of all time. And you put HC in there (shutters in shear nausia). Wow, one wonders if HC had blackmail material on GL, something bad.

I think my shoe would have been a better Anakin, or my keys. Heck, the Lego Anakin wasn't bad either, in comparison that is!

 

I don't particularly think his acting is 'wooden'. Believe me I did after seeing AOTC the first time... er 20 times, anyway then I realized that he is very monotone. GL's acting instructions aside. Think about it, if HC were all bubbly and what-not it would not have been a very realistic precursor to JEJ's calm, cool and monotone delivery of DV's lines (ANH aside). Listen to HC's delivery of lines and imagine JEJ saying them. HC really did do a good job. IMO.

 

My personal problem wasn't his voice either, I think I just didn't see any subtext, which to me is more important than delivery. He didn't make me believe he had feelings for Padme, (and you know, she didn't reciprocate feelings either), I didn't see (believeable) internal conflict, not counting glycerine tears. You know, another bad Villain was young Harold Ozbourne from Spiderman, (Eeeeuccckk!!). Monotone is ok, (Dr. Hanibal Lector), it is in the subtext....for me anyway. I am extremely envious of you fans who dig HC. I wish I could see past my own predjudices against him, and a few other problems. I would love to watch these scenes and just think of the story. In time maybe.

 

What about the one from Star Trek:Nemisis. Tom Hardy who played Praetor Shinzon. I saw bits of Anakin in him.

 

That is one thing I WILL agree with. I feel he and Natalie Portman didn't have good chemistry.

 

I think Kutcher would be an awesome Han Solo. Not so much an Anakin.

 

He can yell BURN! right after he shoots the Tie and causes Vader to spin out.

 

You realize that Ewan was chosen for the part of Obi-wan simply because he looks like Alec Guiness, right? I have no problem with Hayden as Anakin and think he did a good job.

 

No,
Ewam was not cast simply because of looks.
First, he was brought before an audition because he was a brilliant actor. Looks, was a distant second. Otherwise, he would not have been the only one. It is easy to cast a look alike, I've done it many times.

 

Since you've revealed your true intentions, yes, you're gonna get flack now...

To insinuate that Hayden Christensen was cast merely on his looks is ridiculous (not that you personally did so - but you clearly hate the performance...). While his looks were an important factor - as they are whenever casting such a visible and iconic part - Lucas chose him for his smoldering James Dean quality and ability to convey the proper authority and screen presence of a troubled young Jedi. His line deliveries, while often monotonous, are heavily stylised and done to fit into a larger framework. Christensen lets his eyes do most of his acting; you could have the films on silent or be unfamiliar with English and still get a good impression of Anakin's inner turmoil from the looks that Christensen casts. Moreoever, his confession scene in Attack of the Clones arguably ranks as one of the finest pieces of acting in the entire saga. Returning to the eyes, I was personally struck by how such a simple motioning of his eyes in the much-maligned fireplace scene suggested so much. Ditto for his contemplative expressions - in a scene that otherwise belongs to Ian McDiarmid - in Revenge of the Sith's opera scene. We clearly see things very differently: this guy has acting chops and brought them to Star Wars.

 

Ewan is a highly respected actor. There's no way he was cast just because of his looks. Let's not forget that unlike HC, he actually nailed his character in the PT. So much that a lot of people now consider him to be Obi-Wan and not Alec. HC was terribly miscast and it didn't help that Anakin wasn't written very well. He was supposed to be the "tragic" hero. He was supposed to be the character everyone would care about. We were all supposed to feel bad when he turned. Instead, a lot of us found him whiny and childish. We didn't buy him as a guy who would turn inot Vader. Perhaps another actor could have accomplished more. Good actors can rise above the material. HC couldn't.

 

I agree entirely. Both Hayden and Natalie did a terrible job in their roles, while Ewan was right on the mark.

 

^ I still think that the problem was not that Hayden was miscast, it's that people are still misinterpreting who Anakin is. GL pretty much summed it up when he said "Poor Hayden, he was great. They just didn't like the character." BTW, I agree Cryogenic, his confession scene in AOTC was superbly well done, that was the scene where I believe I truly came to understand Anakin.

As for Ashton Kutcher, after watching Butterfly Effect I found myself very surprised. He did in fact show some genuine acting chops and I actually found myself able to take him seriously as an actor. However, I personally think that he would have been miscast as Anakin. If nothing else he just would have seemed out of place.

 

I can agree that Anakin's character in itself is very whiny, but I'm sure a better actor could've delivered that in a more appropriate way.

 

Hayden is good most of the time, though he occassionally slips, just like Hamill.

 

Jake Lloyd - "meh"=ness

Hayden Christensen (EPII) - Sniveling scrawny disco boy from a galaxy far, far away... (sorry couldn't help myself)

Hayden Christensen (EPIII) - dark, brooding, and deliciously complex. The long untidy bangs, the scar, the knitted brow, the tight-lipped or a wicked switchblade smile. Finally the role matured enough for the actor's underrated talents.

Hayden beat the stuffing out of Kelso.

 

ugh! I can't stand Ashton Kutcher.
I like HC's voice and acting. I saw AOTC the second day it was out without reading a review or being spoiled and i never thought he was wooden.
When i watch the OT now i see him as vader and luke reminds me alot of him, not just in looks but the way he acts, moves his eyes ect.

 

I don't understand what Lucas is getting at here. Was Anakin meant to be unlikeable? Were we expected to sympathise with him, and feel the tragedy of his fall, without actually liking the guy?

Conversely, I always found that Hamill managed to make Luke likeable - even in his more "whiny" moments. If what Lucas is saying is true, then it wouldn't have mattered who played Anakin. They would have faced the same basic problem: that Anakin was written as a selfish, arrogant jerk who the audience find it extremely hard to care about.

 

Ashton Kutchner is a joke people, my friend stated Cameron Crowe actually fired his butt "told Kutchner to get lost, hit the highway Jack" because he couldn't create any of the emotions or energy required for the scenes, not even if a bonfire was lit beneath his arse.

Lucas has a talent for finding aspiring actors or new talent for his Star Wars saga. Hayden Christensen wasn't too bad in Episode II though he wasn't an intimidating figure. He looked more like the friendly geek that dated your sister (or daughter depending on perspectives) at the prom with hair full of gel. Sorry HC. And the fact he had some really rank lines of dialogue to deal with.

Flashforward to Episode III, he is Anakin/Vader all-over. The expressions he gives Obi-Wan on Mustafar. Especially when the Master Jedi is attempting to reason with him while on the energy shield protected floating platforms/droids are so satisfying. The dialogue is so much improved. Ewan McGregor and Ian McDiarmid bore the whole PT saga performance wise, but Hayden Christensen undeniably is up to the challenge in RotS by honestly upstaging both of them.