This 'Star Wars' Actor Reveals The Way Hayden Christensen Improved The Younglings Scene In 'Revenge Of The Sith'
Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, has terrified and fascinated movie-goers for the past 40+ years. His ominous presence, jet black armor and cape, skull-like helmet, and onscreen brutality quickly identified him as a cunning and ruthless villain. Within moments of his arrival onboard Princess Leia's ship, he has given orders to "tear the ship apart" and crushed Captain Antilles' windpipe with his hand. Over the next two movies, Vader would continue to be our heroes' main adversary, earning his place among such villains as Hannibal Lecter, Jack Torrance, and the Terminator. With an intimidating design, exceptional voice acting by James Earl Jones, and a compelling redemption arc, Darth Vader remains one of the quintessential and fan favorite Star Wars characters all these years later.
If the original trilogy didn't give you enough reasons to fear and hate Darth Vader, Revenge of the Sith has just the scenes you're looking for. Nearly 20 in-universe years before his boarding of Leia's ship the Tantive IV, we see Vader as a talented young Jedi Knight named Anakin Skywalker, portrayed by Hayden Christensen. Instead of being a pawn of the dark side, Anakin is a Jedi general serving in the Grand Army of the Republic, valiantly leading the 501st Legion of clone troopers into battle against the Separatist Alliance. After years of grooming and maneuvering by Darth Sidious, the time has finally come to claim young Skywalker as his Sith apprentice. Using Anakin's wife Padme as leverage, Sidious is able to sway the ambitious and covetous young Jedi to pledge himself to the dark master's teachings. The newly christened Darth Vader is tasked with marching on the Jedi temple and massacring all those inside.
One of the defining moments of the Star Wars galaxy and most emotionally decimating scenes, Order 66 is the fruition of a millennium of Sith scheming in secret and shadows. The Jedi are betrayed, not only by Anakin, but also by the clone troopers whom they had commanded during the long and bloody Clone War. While many Jedi fall on far flung worlds, shot in the back by their comrades in arms, Vader personally kills many Jedi in their temple on Coruscant, including a group of younglings who sought shelter in the Jedi council chambers. This short scene is a potent way to show exactly how far Anakin has fallen from the light. illustrating the heinous acts he will commit for his new master. When asked by one of the younglings (Sors Bandeam, in case that ever comes up in bar trivia) how they can escape the doomed temple Vader simply ignites his saber, and the scene switches to a different location, with the hellish events that unfold left to the imagination of the troubled viewer.
Anybody who has seen the movie will remember the look of shock and fear on the young boy's face as he perceives the obvious threat. Recently, the actor who played this small part, Ross Beadman, participated in a Reddit Q&A where Star Wars fans and meme lovers alike were eager to ask him questions about his lone line of dialogue in the film. When asked if he received any direction to step away from Hayden Christensen, Beadman said,
"I remember Hayden shouted 'Boo!' and startled me to add to my fear in the scene."
While we are not sure if the Sith have a history of yelling "Boo!" at their victims, this seems exactly like something Hayden would do. Combined with the activation of the lightsaber and a little movie magic, it became an extremely effective way to draw fear and shock from a youngling.
Source(s): The Direct