Eh, I figured he could have said Samuel L. Jackson. There were more scenes of Palpatine and Windu together in AOTC than Anakin and Palpatine, for example. Plus, Ian actually dueled Jackson and that would have been a good time to bring up his performance. Moreover, the original question was which actor he enjoyed working with the most, not necessarily what he thought of his coworker's performance. He could have easily just said that Hayden was very pleasant to work with, but instead specifically brought up his work as being underrated. I don't know. It seemed more like genuine praise there rather than mere politeness to me.
Exactly. The question wasn't "who did you think put in a good performance?" it was "who did you most enjoy working with?". He volunteered his opinion that Hayden's performance was underated. And I think he's right.
well as I said, it was my opinion when I read whatr you put but hey who am I to say, we don't know the man
I think Hayden was excellent. He was whiney like Luke (or any other teenager). He also reminded me of the kid Anakin and the Vader in the suit at times. He was brooding. He was good with a lightsaber. He communicated clearly with his mouth and his eyes. He showed growth of character in ROTS. He did more than Portman to sell their love. And when the time came he looked as evil as evil can be. I can't think of anything that he or any other actor could have done better.
Oh hell yeah! Hayden was AMAZING with a lightsaber. The Obi Wan/Anakin duel was even more epic than I grew up dreaming it would be.
I liked Hayden a lot in these films. He made the dialogue work as well as it could and delivered what George wanted to convey his story. And I do think he had some really good moments in ROTS, particularly the Anakin/Padme' rumination scene. Hayden did a lot with his eyes in this film and subtle facial expressions that really sold me, and solid delivery. His physical skills were superb for lightsaber fighting, and he had great, believable chemistry with Ewan and Natalie.
Absolutely. Hayden certainly had awkward lines, but the character he played was meant to be awkward. His on-screen (and off-screen) relationship with Ewan and Natalie was very friendly, genuine, and professional. The duel on Mustafar required incredible teamwork and Star Wars has always thrived on a strong ensemble cast. Literally every single scene with Hayden and Ian is also interesting to watch and delivered extremely well. It is clear Hayden's acting chops do improve over the course of Episode II and III, although I still feel he gave a solid performance in Episode II. Hayden was not playing some pure evil Damian character that some fans expected nor was he supposed to be a Han Solo character, he was playing Anakin Skywalker: the most complex and troubled character in the Star Wars Saga. And he played that role extremely well.
The only part I thought Hayden did any kind of Good acting, was when he was by the lava bank and yelling I hate you to Obi-one. Every other time he was just cringe worthy.
For the most part, he did a good job. At least he tried - unlike Portman, who seemed bored out of her mind half of the time (kind of like Carrie in ROTJ). It's not really his fault he got the worst lines in the entire saga and was asked by George to speak monotone - two things he gets the most flak for. When he needs to be emotional (confession, Mustafar) , he delivers 200%. When he's allowed to be more relaxed (ROTS opening) he's great, too. He's never wooden: you can always read his emotions in any given moment.
Like I said before, the only time I felt some true emotion from him, is when he is yelling at Obi-one. He was also awesome at the duels, so he gets mad props for that.
I really liked Hayden as Anakin. In AOTC his acting was a bit more cringe worthy for me (And the scene on the balcony in ROTS) but I think that was more the dialogue than him. But he was excellent with scenes with Obi-Wan and okay in his scenes with Padme. I thought he really sold the transformation into Vader though. So all in all, I think he was an okay Anakin. I think he did better in ROTS, but that's my opinion and bias.
According to the interview I read way back. Hayden himself wanted to be more expressive in AOTC but Lucas insisted on more "monotone" or "Vaderish" voice. Hayden said he didn't understand why until ROTS. Personally, I think if he sounded more normal in AOTC, he'd be received better.
Yes, I saw something about this on 'The Chosen One' web featurette. Good call. I have to keep reminding myself that this was GEORGE'S vision, and George's call to make on acting styles, whether we like it or not. But, thanks to the beauty of message boards and the interwebz, we can all share our own preferences, so here's mine In AOTC, I would have preferred to let Hayden stretch just a bit more..I would love to watch the film with him and have him explain in which scenes he would have preferred to do what...like pause the film and act for me how he would have done it and see if it's better, or too much. You shouldn't make the gap TOO wide between Ep II and III's Anakins, but I think a more 'humanistic' Anakin in Ep II would have made his fall even more crushing in III. Tis a fine line...he IS a Jedi so he's led a very disciplined life since slavery, so he will have SOME 'forced' restraint of his emotions to go along with his late-adolescent frustrations and awkwardness. I think what Hayden did in ROTS (and how George directed him) was perfect. He was more mature, war-weary, strong brotherly bond with Obi Wan (their one on one's were all great, pre and post fall). I especially enjoyed the little banter bits with Obi Wan ("No loose wire jokes." and "Artoo will be along soon. We should be patient" LOL). His relationship with his wife was well done and his concerns for her. The only scene some might call iffy was the ROTS balcony/hairbrush scene, but that was just some loving teasing going on (though I shame the D.O.P and lighting director for Natalie's crack-whore look, yikes!). It was corny, but then it was supposed to be. Their last light moment together, ever. Jeez, who HASN'T shared a corny moment with their love? LOL EDIT: For Episode III, I think Hayden's performance also has a subtle weight to it, that Anakin is shouldering a loss that is pushing down on him, adding to his irritability and also increasing his vulnerability to Palp's machinations. I presume it's the extremely recent loss of Ahsoka that has him in this state, though she didn't exist when Ep III was filmed (that I'm aware).
Usually Lucas allows a lot of improv on the set (you know, "faster,more intense" stuff), but it seems he made an exception in Anakin's case and was more specific than usual.
