Hayden Christensen George Pimentel/Disney/Shutterstock
Sparring partners While Hayden ChristensenHe was a master at lightsaber use, but he was a long way from being proficient. Obi-Wan Kenobi Briar Rose, his daughter, helped him to regain his fighting skills.
“We have a couple lightsabers kicking around the house,” the Little Italy actor, 41, said of the 7-year-old during a Friday, June 24, appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “She was my first lightsaber training partner when I came back to the Obi-Wan show.”
Christensen, who reprised his role as Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader on the Disney+ miniseries, revealed that his daughter — whom he shares with ex Rachel Bilson — is aware of one of his biggest roles.
“She knows Daddy’s Darth Vader, [but] she’s never seen Daddy as Darth Vader,” the Canada native told host Jimmy Fallon. “I’m still waiting a little bit, you know, until that happens. I might show her the prequels soon, but still, there’s some scenes we might have to fast forward through.”
Christensen and Hart of Dixie Alum, 40, welcomed their daughter in October 2014. The couple split three years later but they remained faithful coparents.
“It’s been going pretty well,” Bilson told Us Weekly exclusively in December 2020 of their dynamic. “It’s also nice because you’re stuck in the house [amid the coronavirus pandemic]. So, for her to have another house to go to, I think that’s actually been helpful. So, all in all, it’s been good.”
She added: “[Briar’s]It’s really great, though. I’m really lucky [but] there’s that common line of, ‘Well, Mommy, if you give me options, I’m going to give you options.’ She’s understanding and rebelling, like, ‘I don’t have to do this.’”
The couple continued to raise Briar, while keeping up with their various interests. Star Wars It was not yet.
“Luckily, she’s not aware that her dad is one of the biggest villains of all time,” the O.C. alum told Use at the time. “When that [time] comes, I don’t know how that’ll probably fare in school because nobody will mess with her!”
She continued: “She sees, like, I had to tape an audition, so she’s kind of aware of what we do. And she’s aware that there’s actors in her favorite shows and stuff, so she has a tiny grasp, but I don’t think totally.”
Hayden Christensen in an interview with Jimmy Fallon June 24, 2022 Todd Owyoung/NBC
Christensen — who dated the Take Two alum between 2007 and 2017 — rose to fame playing Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, including 2002’s Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and 2005’s Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Anakin, who was eventually revealed to be notorious villain Darth Vader, returned in Disney+’s Obi-Wan Kenobi Series opposite Ewan McGregor.
“I was in high school, like, a year before [I got cast as Anakin Skywalker] doing school plays. I was living in Vancouver at the time, and it was a long audition process,” the Shattered Glass star announced Friday that she would be joining the franchise. “I got the call [that I booked the role and]I was stunned and in disbelief. … It’s an honor to get to wear [the costume] but definitely the best part is seeing people’s reactions when they see Vader.”
Obi-Wan Kenobi Currently streaming on Disney+
