PT Why do people say Hayden's acting was bad in the prequels?

The reason why I created this thread is because I recently saw the new Honest Trailer for Episode II where they repeatedly said he was a bad actor. I've heard this many times before from Star Wars fans. But personally, I've seen AOTC and ROTS over a hundred times.. and I just don't see it! I've really tried to see the problem people have. But no matter how much I try, I can't. In fact, I thought he did pretty good. I will admit some scenes were a bit awkward to watch, like the "I don't like sand"-scene and when Anakin and Obi-Wan started arguing in front of Padmé in the beginning of Episode II. But I saw that as purely intentional. The guy was supposed to be awkward and even at sometimes creepy. Look, I'm not saying he should have won an Oscar but he was far from bad in my honest opinion.

So I'm thinking, there must be some other issue at hand here? I'm only trying to understand why he's been labelled a bad actor. Is it because people don't like how George handled the origins of Darth Vader? They expected Anakin to be more "badass" and less emotional and troubled? I'm ok with people disliking the character, that's purely a matter of taste. But when people claim he is a bad actor I can't take them seriously!

I've showed some scenes of his acting to a couple of friends and family members who hadn't seen any of the Star Wars movies and they saw nothing wrong with his acting either. Strange. Then there are some Star Wars fans who say "Hayden's not a bad actor, it's just the script that sucks". Which boggles my mind too! Then there are those who says.. "Nothing wrong with Hayden or the script, it's just Lucas who sucks at directing". *facepalm*... why are everyone so overly critical and negative? Always something to bad to say.. seems to be very common in the Star Wars community.

I'm also including a poll to see how many actually thinks his acting stinks..

By the way, I found this quote from Ian McDiarmid, pretty cool: "His performance is greatly underrated. I really liked him."

 

If you're going to discount why people have issue with the way we perceive Hayden in the PT why are you asking? Perceptions vary and that is fine. Personally, I have gone through the gauntlet of Vader and Hayden. I don't like the tone struck for his origins, no. The writing of the PT is pretty poor and he does seem hindered probably by direction. He's stilted. The major problem I have with Anakin is he's not sympathetic or likable at all. That is disappointing. Going into both TPM and ROTS I had hope but misgivings for the PT (AotC is my fave due to Lee's presence).

Over time I've realised it is the writing and story I have most issues with in SW. This makes sense as I am a storyteller that writes. I think Hayden did the best he could in his circumstances. I believe it's possible he's a fine actor outside SW but don't know as he's not to my tastes to interest me.

 

I voted "good." I dislike some of the prequel scenes with him in them, but I don't think any of them were fine before he got there. I don't really think any of the prequel problems were caused by "not good enough" actors. Miscast, maybe, but not unskilled. The scene where he lists off all his complaints against Obi-Wan, for instance -- what was a "better" actor supposed to do to make that scene not a whine?

I don't know... some of you on here seem much more bad-acting-sensitive than I am. I've heard people rant about how Ford's performance in ROTJ was supposedly so awful as well, and that's never bothered me.

 

I find that for some people if they don't like the character then they justify it as the actor being bad.

I have come across people who think that all the acting in the PT is bad terrible and totally lousy. Then they say they love all these actors in everything else they've ever done but think that in the PT they suddenly all lost the ability to act.

I point out to them out utterly ridiculous this is but they still believe it.

They just don't buy that it's a deliberate style of acting that Lucas uses in the PT that is of the distinctly non-modern variety that harkens back to silents and early talkies when it clearly is as it was in the OT most clearly in SW and ROTJ. The only movie where the acting is a bit more modern (then) as it were was ESB with the different director and even then it's like jumping from the early 30's to the late 30's or so.

 

Because I don't think he's a bad actor and there's something else causing people to say he's a bad actor. I just want to get to the bottom of it.

I really can't find the word for it.. but I think Anakin was supposed to be a bit stilted, though. The Jedi were very religious, monk-like with their personalities. Formal, calm and stiff.. they weren't exactly supposed to be like Han Solo, if you know what I mean.

That's where I feel completely the opposite. Of course, I can't sympathize with some of his actions like killing children, although he was under the influence of the dark side so you can't really blame him. But his desperation to save the ones he loved.. and being lured into the dark side. That's where I really feel sorry for him. And my sympathy for him begins really in Episode I were he was just a poor kid struggling with life as a slave, living with his mother, no father. Many people, like I, can relate to his situation (I wasn't literally a slave, but sometimes life can feel that way). Later he gets the chance to fight for his freedom and succeeds. Leaves his life of slavery behind him to become something greater. Although losing his mother on the way, something I can also relate to, which must have been hard on him and even harder finding her all brutally violated by savages years later.. I mean can you blame him for killing the sand people? It's hard not to feel sorry for him and sympathize with him.. the prequels were basically the tragic story of Anakin Skywalker, as I saw it.

You can't say that without showing us some of your work. Genuinely interested!

 

Good enough for me. I don't watch Star Wars for deep emotional performances, but nonetheless that's pretty much what I saw during the Tusken confession. Overall I could see Lucas was going for a discontent of youth approach with Anakin, and I think Christensen played the part well.

 

OT fan boys are just mad that Lucas didn't write the prequels the way they would have. For some reason they just can't distinguish the difference between a character they don't like & the actor portraying them. To each his own, though. We'll be over here enjoying the entire saga, and they can be bogged down by their ignorance and complaining.

 

That seems to be the case.

And some say Mark Hamill was a bad actor.. which I don't see either.

Right? He wasn't exactly supposed to be James Bond. He was a trained Jedi with no skills with women.. and I would say the same about Padmé. She lived mostly a royal and political life, not much room for experience with romance.

That scene was epic.

That's true. I've been watching most of his movies lately (on a quest to find any bad acting from him, which I haven't yet) and that's the type of character he mostly plays and you can tell why George wanted him as Anakin. Hayden is currently working on a new movie called Outcast, I doubt he will play the same kind of character there. Will be interesting to see.

 

I always have felt like its a mixture of things. In some scenes, he really is awful, like the part in Padme's apartment in AOTC. This could be attributed to the script, or also a rush through filming. On the extra features, you see Lucas filming scenes in one take. Many of Haden's scenes feel like a rehearsal. He may be one of those guys who needs a few takes to get stuff right.
The other problem is that he's playing an unlikable person. Anakin is sort of a brat, the school jock that stuffs nerds in lockers that the VP hasn't suspended yet. He does a pretty good job at it, but I think people were expecting to see a nice guy like Luke slowly turn evil. What we got was a snot whose moral compass wasn't that great to begin with ... He breaks rules, justifies doing whatever he wants, prefers dictatorships, kills sand people children who didn't have anything to do with his mom dying. He's kind of a jerk. And not a charismatic jerk like Walter White, or heck, even Darth Vader in the OT. Just a regular ol' jerk who you'd avoid having to run into in the halls of your middle school.
Mix a character who is a jerk with an actor whose performance isn't always up to snuff with a director who wants to have everything in the can by 5 p.m. each day so he can go home, and you get a performance that is unappealing on different levels, some intentional, some not.
However, people aren't going to associate the unpleasantness of the performance with the intentional, just the unintentional. Hence the "Hayden is horrible" bandwagon.

 

Generally I think people wanted something very different from what they got, and never considered the reason or direction behind his acting. Anakin is an extremely flawed and repressed person, and that's what is coming through when he acts in that way people have called "wooden". His performance is not always gold, but it's always right. And then there are the times when it IS gold - for example, anything from AotC on Tatooine - and I'm just blown away every time.

 

Oh, please. Save it for somebody who hasn't put up with PT haters of "utmost intelligence and maturity" doing exactly what you're accusing me of for way too many years to give a damn anymore. I'll never understand that mentality. I mean, It's one thing to waste your time obsessing over something you actually like.... Whatever. Like I said, to each their own.

 

Of course it affects my enjoyment of the movies. You can't honestly say you think its been a pleasant fan experience being openly appreciative of the prequels... and for what? Complaining gets the PT haters nowhere and only makes the Star Wars fandom a negative place. I don't understand why they just can't drop it and move on with their lives already instead of ruining what could be an otherwise fun experience for the rest of us.

And the post was about why we think Hayden gets so much crap all the time. I gave my blunt, honest opinion. Don't like it? Sorry, but I wasn't trying to make you feel good.

 

Carrie: Differences in view happen. Deal with it. Those of us that prefer the OT don't have to ruin your love of the PT. Honestly there is antagonising on both sides and you're not helping. Each likes what they like and none are wrong.

 

I totally agree with you, Cushing's Admirer. If only PT haters would take your advise. Until then, I'm just as entitled to my opinions and my defense of them as anybody else.

 

Yes, you are but approach counts.

 

Yeah, a lot. If you don't retaliate with just as much hostility that gets thrown at you, how do you expect to make your opinion heard? I've tried the reasonable approach... it usually doesn't catch on in crazy fandoms like Star Wars has.

 

Hostility will get you nothing. Try listening it really can work wonders at times. Differences do not always equal *hate*.

 

Who said hostility invokes change or silence? All I'm saying is don't be hostile toward me to begin with and we won't have a problem, but I have no reservations about defending myself if you can't adhere to that. And if you want to try to argue that there hasn't been PLENTY of hostility from fans where the prequels are concerned, there's no point in continuing this discussion because you can't be reasoned with anyway.

 

Call me biased if you will, but I'm a product of the prequel generation, Hayden is Anakin, and there's not really much that can be better in the prequels. Sure, I still vote Shaw for Anakin's ghost, but not out of disrespect for Hayden, just for the point in life Anakin was at when he died.

One of my favorite non-SW movies is Jumper, which featured Hayden Christensen in a starring role. The character's name was pretty funny, but he was a good character, well-played, and it was a good movie.