Hayden Christensen Says Anakin Skywalker's Sith Eyes in REVENGE OF THE SITH Were His Idea
Hayden Christensen recently shared that it was his idea for Anakin Skywalker to have those menacing Sith Eyes in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. It was a nice little touch when you saw Anakin go full-on Sith mode. Those Sith Eyes have since become an iconic part of the hero-turned-villain. However, the actor wanted his character to have the Sith Eyes sooner than the final act of the movie.
Christensen opened up about all of this during an interview with Empire, saying:
"That scene is the tipping point in Anakin’s fall to the dark side. He has Mace Windu and Darth Sidious, Jedi and Sith, both pleading his allegiance and he has to make a choice. When we were filming that scene, George spoke about how Anakin was conflicted but not yet corrupted, and that he still wanted to do the right thing.
"It’s a hugely transitional scene for the character and one that sets the course for everything that follows. I remember in the weeks leading up to filming it, I was trying to figure out how to express his turn and acceptance of the anointment of Darth Vader. It needed an observable shift in character and this was actually the origin of George and I discussing giving Anakin Sith eyes.
"Originally, there was no mention of it and George was initially against the idea when I brought it up. I loved the visual of Sith eyes and thought it could make sense: Darth Maul had them and Sidious has them. George responded saying that Count Dooku didn’t, and I thought that was the end of that. A few days later he came back to me and said he thought about it some more and now liked the idea of Sith eyes – but not for that scene.
"I think that was because it would have misinformed things. Anakin’s fall to the dark side isn’t just about good and evil and ideological views; it’s also about timing and circumstance."
When asked if Lucas was typically collaborative in that way on the set of the prequels. It turns out that Lucas would let him try new and different things, but in the end, Lucas always went with his own vision:
"George is a visionary and always knew exactly what he wanted, but when I had an idea he would always hear me out and consider it. When I had an instinct on set and wanted to try something different than what we were doing, he would always indulge me. I remember on several occasions explaining what I wanted to try and George would say, 'Well I know when I get to the editing room and I’ve got your version and my version, I’m always going to use my version, but sure, let’s give it a try.' And he was right, he always did use his version!"
But, in the end, Lucas did end up using the idea of the Sith Eyes, which I think makes sense for the character! Anakin was still rocking the Sith eyes in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.