Hayden Christensen cut a low profile as he stepped out for a coffee with a friend in Los Feliz, California, on Wednesday.
The Star Wars actor, 43, is rarely seen out in public and kept things low-key as he smoked a cigarette during his latest outing in the Los Feliz neighbourhood.
He looked stylish in a black T-shirt and grey baggy trousers, which he styled with a smart grey jacket as he visited Starbucks with his friend.
Hayden, famed for playing Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in the sci-fi prequels, kept comfortable in a pair of orange trainers to complete his look.
He sported a black Nike baseball cap as he kept a low profile, looking strikingly different from his Star Wars days.
Hayden generally keeps out of the spotlight but reemerged late last year when he celebrated his Star Wars co-star Ewan McGregor at his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony.
Hayden Christensen cut a low profile as he stepped out for a coffee with a friend in Los Feliz, California, on Wednesday
Ewan, 53, who played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the prequels, was honoured with a star on the iconic boulevard and Hayden gave a touching speech at the ceremony.
In his touching speech, he praised Ewan and recalled the first time he met him while working on 2002’s Attack of the Clones.
‘I often think about the first time that I met you. We were both in Australia, many moons ago, getting ready to do Star Wars episode 2,’ he said.
‘I walk into this room where I’m told Ewan is going to be, and before I can even put eyes on him, I hear his voice. And he exclaims my name with more enthusiasm than I think I’d ever heard it spoken with before.
‘I turn and I see him, and then he’s coming at me, and he just gives me the biggest hug. Like, just the most disarmingly warm embrace.’
Hayden described Ewan as the ‘nicest person’ and said he knew he was meeting someone ‘special’ immediately as he gushed over their friendship.
‘We start chatting and he’s just the nicest person. He’s telling me how excited he is getting to work together and how much fun we’re going to have doing our light saber training,’ he went on.
‘He’s just beyond kind to me. It was immediately apparent to me that I was meeting someone truly special. And not just as an actor, but as a person. I was meeting a friend.
The Star Wars actor, 43, is rarely seen out in public and kept things low-key as he smoked a cigarette during his latest outing in the Los Feliz neighbourhood
Hayden generally keeps out of the spotlight but reemerged late last year when he celebrated his Star Wars co-star Ewan McGregor at his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony
‘A friend who would later go on to chop off both my legs and leave me for dead on the side of a volcano but I guess I kind of had that coming.’
Speaking of his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Hayden described Ewan’s work as ‘magic’, adding: ‘And the best kind of magic — not the kind that involves any like trickery or sleight of hand, but the kind that really makes you believe in something bigger.
‘Because he wasn’t just playing Obi-Wan, he was Obi-Wan. I mean, he is Obi Wan. And I really hope we get more Obi-Wan, because this man is just Star Wars gold.’
They starred opposite one another in 2002’s Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, 2005’s Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, and more recently joined forces once again for the 2022 Disney+ mini series, Obi-Wan Kenobi.
On top of their work on screen, the duo have also lent their voices to various Star Wars projects including the 2019 film, Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker.
Hayden also contributed to 2019’s Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker and reprised his role as Anakin in the 2023 Disney+ Star Wars series Ahsoka.
Hayden was just 19 years old when he landed the role of Anakin in 2002’s Attack of the Clones and he has opened up about the negative backlash from fans at the time.
Hayden is famed for playing Anakin Skywalker (pictured with Ewan as Obi Wan Kenobi in Revenge Of The Sith) in the Star Wars prequels
When the movie was released, it was quite successful financially ($653.7million worldwide from a $115million budget) but received quite a bit of negativity from fans.
‘Because Star Wars has had the cultural impact that it has, these characters almost become public domain, where people feel a sense of ownership over them,’ he told Empire last year.
‘The character was criticised, my performance was criticised, and that part sucked.’
Though now a beloved part of the franchise, Hayden admitted his journey with Star Wars has been ‘bumpy’ at times as he addressed the controversy.
Despite the initial backlash, the prequels have held up over the years and Hayden is now a firm fan favourite and always gets standing ovations from fans at conventions.
‘It’s been a remarkable experience. And just a very heartwarming one. The journey that I’ve been on with Star Wars over the last 20 plus years… it’s been a wild ride, and where we’re at now is really meaningful to me,’ he said.
