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 Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. It was a nice touch when you saw Anakin go into full Sith mode. Since then, those Sith Eyes have become an iconic part of the hero-turned-villain. However, the actor wanted his character to have Sith Eyes before the film’s final act.

Christensen addressed all of this during an interview with Empire, saying:

“That scene is the turning point in Anakin’s fall to the dark side. He has Mace Windu and Darth Sidious, Jedi and Sith, both begging for his allegiance and he has to make a choice. While we were shooting that scene, George spoke how Anakin was conflicted but not yet corrupt and still wanted to do the right thing.

“It’s a big transition scene for the character and one that sets the course for everything that follows. I remember in the weeks leading up to filming, I was trying to figure out how to express his turning point and acceptance of Darth Vader’s anointing. there needed to be a clear change in the character and that was actually the origin of the discussion between me and George about giving Anakin Sith eyes.

“There was no mention of it at first and George was initially against the idea when I brought it up. I loved the graphics of the Sith eyes and thought it might make sense: Darth Maul had them and Sidious has them. George responded by saying that the Count Dooku didn’t, and I thought that was the end of it. A few days later he came back to me and said that he’d thought about it some more and that he now liked the idea of ​​Sith eyes, but not for that scene.

“I think that was because it would misinform things. Anakin’s fall to the dark side isn’t just about good, evil, and ideological views; it’s also about timing and circumstances.”

When asked if Lucas was typically collaborative 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 followed his vision:

“George is a visionary and always knew exactly what he wanted, but when I had an idea he always listened to me and considered it. When I had an instinct on set and wanted to try something different from what we were doing, he always indulged me. I remember in several times I would explain what I wanted to try and George would say, ‘Well, I know when I get in the editing room and I have your version and my version, I’ll always use my version, but sure, let’s try it.’ And he was right, he always used his version of him!”

But, in the end, Lucas used the Sith Eyes idea, which I think makes sense for the character! Anakin was still swinging his eyes at the Sith in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.