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Are some males put off by Hayden Christianson?

Discussion in 'Archive: Attack of the Clones' started by sdj, Jun 30, 2002.

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  1. sdj

    sdj Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 3, 2002
    Ok my brother and father both told me yesterday that they thought Hayden sucked. They really didn't give a reason besides he was too much of a pretty boy and sorta whiney.

    Myself I loved the guy as Anakin. He plays disturbed really well and looks the part. Sure he's whiney but that's how the male Skywalkers are apparently.

    I think it's his good looks that some males hate. I mean my wife and sister both drool over him and so do many of the other ladies on this board. Sure he does look like he could be in a boy band but he's not. I don't think you should hold his looks against him. Sure Hamill was almost plain in RotJ and Hayden's not ruggedly manly like Harrison Ford...but he's dedicated to the part.

    So what do you think?
     
  2. cnhianda

    cnhianda Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Jun 13, 2002
    I think he did a good job, despite the fireside scene (could have been better).
    Great casting of Anakin in my opinion.

    You wont catch me drooling though.. :)
    He wasnt that great.. :)
     
  3. Icebreaker

    Icebreaker Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 20, 2001
    I thought he was 'manly' enough in this movie...though I will admit that he needs to be a little more 'rough' in the next movie if I'm really gonna believe he becomes Vader


    ~ICeBReaKeR
    Custom Prop Builder and Collector
    His abilities have made him...arrogant
     
  4. anakin-player

    anakin-player Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Jun 22, 2002
    sdj,

    I agree that the women seem to love him. All of the females that I have talked to drool over him. However, many of the guys just don't like him. They say things like "his acting sucks" or "he looks gay." I suspect that they are just jealous of his looks. As a guy myself, I have no problem with him because he performed extremely well as Anakin. The range of emotions that he displayed on screen was incredible to say the least.
     
  5. BartSimpson-SithLord

    BartSimpson-SithLord Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jan 24, 2002
    I'm not put off, I mean he was extremely good as Anakin. I even liked how he broke down and whined in some scenes. The character of Vader seems like he could have been a major whiner who found that the power of the Dark Side allowed him to deal with his problems direct instead of letting them boil over inside of him. So I had no problem with the whining. Hayden comes across as the insecure Jedi I saw Vader as. The Dark Side, plus the tramatic experiences of Ep III, give him the confidence he exudes in the OT. IMHO.
     
  6. ADONIAH32

    ADONIAH32 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 18, 2002
    I loved Hayden...absolutely perfect for the role. All that talk a while back about Leonardo DiCaprio being Anakin is silly now. Anakin was so much better than he could have done.

    You might also check out Thoughts on Hayden?s Acting
     
  7. Darthkarma

    Darthkarma Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 30, 2000


    I agree with all the previous posts. Hayden was a superb choice by Lucas. His acting choices in individual scenes were superb.

    If guys can't handle his looks (and I'm one of them, lol) then too bad. If he was an actor who was ONLY relying on his looks to get ahead then I'd genuinely dislike him, but he's a skilled artist. I'm impressed. He's worked hard to get where is and he's the genuine artcle. He's got great chops.

    I shall watch his career with great interest.
     
  8. Darth_Nemesis

    Darth_Nemesis Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Aug 6, 2001
    Hayden did great, there was only one scene that sucked and that was when he whined "It's all Obi-wan's fault!" he sounded like a 9 year old. But besides that, he's the perfect VADER. And who cares if chicks dig him, Vader's a ******* pimp any way.
     
  9. MachinatingMachiavel

    MachinatingMachiavel Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Jun 1, 2002
    Hayden did an excellent job. I was very impressed with his performance. When he busted out with the confession scene I especially taken aback. It was bang on. I like the way he identified that scene as a turning point and acted it out with special care. You can tell he thinks a lot about his characters before he goes in an portrays them. I appreciate the way he combined Jake Lloyd and James Earl Jones and even minor vaderisms into the part. This takes brains, and attention to detail. He's also got a very evil look. His grin is menacing, and his eyes can show hatred and softness depending on the scene (maybe it's a genetic thing). And it's important to get a good looking actor to do this part, because it helps highlight how much Anakin had going for him before he turned to the dark side. This helps invoke PATHOS in the audience which is a CRUCIAL element in tragedy (and Star Wars is a quasi-tragedy, although in literary theory the word tragedy should be used carefully)

    I think the guys who say Christensen sucks because "he's a whiny pretty boy" really mean to say,

    "he's better looking than I am, and he can play emotion on camera better than most actors can...and so I'm jealous for myself and for the rest of the uglies in hollywood"

    I mean, a guy can be straight and admit Hayden is better looking than he is and not have to feel bad about it. Then we wouldn't be hearing comments like, "he's just a pretty boy".
     
  10. TheVioletBurns

    TheVioletBurns Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 27, 2002
    It's easy to dismiss Hayden's Anakin portrayl as 'whiny and incompetent', slap a 'bad acting' label on it, and call him a prettyboy. As is stated oft - 'It's easier to destroy than to create'.

    The truth is that casual moviegoers aren't concerned with the characteristics of the two Anakins Hayden's trying to 'bridge', they just want some intense and evil guy exorcising demons...with sweeping love lines and buffdude factor. ;)

    But that defeats the whole purpose of the prequels. Anakin's good side still outweighs the bad in this episode, and while he's grown up physically, he's still very childish mentally. We only glimpse Vader in Episode II; the 'immature' Jake Lloyd side of Anakin is most apparent here. (I say those who want bad-Ani will get enough of their share in Episode III, and I think most of the naysayers will shut up then.)

    Still, Hayden manages to carry a prescence whenever he's on screen, and many people here have pointed out how well he captures the movements and mannerisms (in speech as well) of Prowse and JEJ.

    I also think people rely too much on dialogue to tell them what good acting is. I think the strongest part of Hayden's acting is his facial expressions, which potray disturbed and intense, innocence and awkwardness admirably well.

    Basically, I feel like all the public wants to do is scratch the surface when they judge, which is impossible to do with a character like Anakin. You have to dig in there to really understand the meat of the character; and it then becomes quite apparent how much Hayden did convey in Episode II, and also how much work he put into it.

    My last point is, some people have a completely different vision of the young Darth Vader than George Lucas. And this can't be helped. It's impossible to match George's Anakin to every fan in the world's Anakin they had before AOTC.
     
  11. Luke_Clone

    Luke_Clone Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 15, 2002
    Actually, I have no idea what my dad or brother think about Hayden but I do know that my mother thought he couldn't act. So I said, "He was supposed to be whiney, mom!" and she said, "OH ok then he's great!" lol ;)

    I thought Hayden was very good in most of the movie... I didn't like the shirtless scene for that same reason (and no I didn't think he was doing anything under the covers).

    Besides, after seeing Hayden at Celebration 2 and being very impressed by his ability to deal with... "idiotic and embarrasing" questions I have hence forth been impressed with Hayden. ;)
     
  12. DimensionX

    DimensionX Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 11, 2002
    I'm not out here to bash, and not to put Hayden down because I am jealous of his looks(since I'm good looking myself :D). But Hayden didn't seem natural as Anakin.


    I know some people think that the Confession is just an absolute masterpiece, but IMHO, I dont see anything great in there. I'm being perfectly honest, Hayden is defintely a good actor, but he seemed like more of a Quote Pretty Boy Un quote
     
  13. Eriwo_Jolon

    Eriwo_Jolon Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    May 27, 2002
    I don't care about his looks, it's his acting that I object to. It may just be a case of getting bad lines "I hate sand.."; but you can only blame the script so far.

    What I haven't quite decided on yet is if Hayden really is a bad actor or if he is just acting like an older version of Jake Lloyd. Because if you go back and look at Jake's performance in TPM, I think you'll agree that Jake's "emoting" was very forced.

    Now when I watch Hayden I see the same style of acting. So, I can't tell if it's GL's direction, or if both Jake and Hayden can't act. I really should watch some other movie that Hayden's been in so that I can once and for all settle this quandary.
     
  14. Obi-Wan2001

    Obi-Wan2001 Jedi Padawan star 4

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    Sep 6, 2001
    Yeah, I know a lot of people who think Lucas should have cast someone else to play Anakin. I thought he did a great job, and was pleasantly surprised by his performance. I don't think the masses agree with us though. It seems Hayden's getting a mixed reception, at best, by the general public.
     
  15. naw ibo

    naw ibo Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 1999
    All of the females that I have talked to drool over him. However, many of the guys just don't like him.

    Or on the flip side, maybe all the females "loved him" because they drool over him? Maybe it isn't the guys with the problem? Maybe the girls are blinded by his "sex appeal"? I'm a female and I thought he did fine with the part(though I was cringing at some of those love scenes) but I certainly don't drool over him.(Now Ewan on the other hand.... ;) ). Funny, tons of women "drool" over Ewan and very few guys ever seem to have a problem with him because of his looks. And that's despite some of the "strange" roles he's played in other films which seem to give some guys problems with their content(Velvet Goldmine for instance), yet they still think Ewan's cool. So I think it's not quite the whole thing to say it's because Hayden is "pretty", obviously there is something else at work if alot of guys don't seem to like him.
     
  16. TheVioletBurns

    TheVioletBurns Jedi Master star 4

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    May 27, 2002
    Eriwo_Jolon - it struck me that Hayden was purposely trying to put some Jake Lloyd in his performance. I mean, you can't just suddenly jump to this completely different version of Anakin in Episode II. There has to be something there that can connect the characters.
     
  17. MachinatingMachiavel

    MachinatingMachiavel Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Jun 1, 2002
    Luke_Clone, what were the "idiotic and embarassing questions"?

    I can't imagine this coming from Star Wars fans. And what the heck is 'Celebration 2'? Some kind of convention?
     
  18. twilek_princess

    twilek_princess Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jun 30, 2002
    Hayden's acting was too good for words. Those looks he gave Padme were so intense and seemed so real that a bad actor couldn't do it. And as a chick, I'm all about the EWAN baby. Ewan McGregor *drool*
     
  19. TheVioletBurns

    TheVioletBurns Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 27, 2002
    LOL, Machiavel, yes...Celebration 2 was a huge Star Wars convention held earlier this year. I didn't go, but I'm sure somebody else could tell you about it. And you'd be surprised what stupid questions fans can come up with. :D
     
  20. Gay-LenKenobi

    Gay-LenKenobi Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Sep 20, 2000
    THIS female did not like Hayden. And I'm not the only one.

    EDIT: I'd also like to add that Natalie's popularity isn't based on her great "acting". Pot. Kettle. Black.
     
  21. LordOfTetris

    LordOfTetris Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Apr 11, 2002
    I know lots of girls who laughed uproariously throughout all of AOTC, because of Hayden's acting. They thought he looked okay, but they didn't like him at all.
     
  22. TheVioletBurns

    TheVioletBurns Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 27, 2002
    laughed uproariously

    That shows their tact, and why I couldn't care less about their opinion. [face_plain]

    I feel sorry for those who were trying to enjoy the film.
     
  23. Oakessteve

    Oakessteve Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 9, 1999
    I think only the very insecure ones where put off by Hayden Christensen. I have to admit that I was rather dubious about him at first, but that was quickly swept away when I realised how brilliant he was in the role. I just hope he's got a very good acting career ahead of him, as he deserves it!
     
  24. PadmeLeiaJaina

    PadmeLeiaJaina Force Ghost star 6

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    May 23, 2002
    Well I am one of Hayden's loudest supporters on this site. I am a female, over 30 and think he's quite nice eye candy. HOWEVER, if all he did was strut around and give Padme big smouldering looks and couldn't deliver his lines I would have been annoyed with him.

    Hayden is a promising, gifted actor. His range positively amazes me. I think of the other contemporaries his age (Freddie Prince comes to mind) and I have yet to see many of them be able to portray raw angst, hatred, guilt, pain, and raw passion the way that Hayden can. The boy is not afraid to cry and put his heart on the table for all to see it in order to reach the soul of his character.

    For those who are dubious about Hayden's ability, watch "Life as a House." He plays a character who is as whiney and angst ridden as Anakin, but only maybe once or twice, did I ever see any resemblence to his portrayl of Anakin in the film. I found the part refreshing, honest and likable, because of Hayden. He also stole the whole film. Every other character faded whenever he appeared. He stole that movie.

    GL said he liked Hayden because he has an edge to him, like James Dean or Marlon Brando. Hayden is the only actor I've seen who I would readily say could fill JD's legacy. LAAH is a modern day equivalent type of role as Jim in "Rebel w/o a Cause."

    Hayden has a long career ahead of him. I can't wait to see him in EP 3 and watch him go Sith postal, and look forward to any projects he has outside of the SW universe.
     
  25. Jansens_Funny_Twin

    Jansens_Funny_Twin Jedi Youngling star 2

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    May 31, 2002
    I liked him in EP II and Life as a House. But still, he's too pretty, he must go. :p
     
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