Hayden Christensen Defends Anakin Skywalker’s Iconic Anti-Sand Speech
"I understood Anakin’s feelings toward sand."
Disney Plus’ Obi-Wan Kenobi has seen Hayden Christensen reprise his role as Anakin Skywalker (aka Darth Vader), and he’s finally shared his thoughts on Anakin’s infamous anti-sand monologue.
Dinsey Plus’ latest expansion of Star Wars comes in the form of the six-parter, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Set 10 years after Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, the series sees Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen reprise their roles as young Obi-Wan and Anakin Skywalker, respectively.
The new series is a love letter to the most loved aspects of the, shall we say, contentiously received Star Wars prequel trilogy. Plenty of hardcore fans decry the prequels for their dated CGI, dialogue-heavy approach, and awkward performances. But most fans agree the prequels’ greatest strength was the strong bond between Obi-Wan Kenobi and his tragically fated apprentice — something Obi-Wan Kenobi explores in depth.
But perhaps the most memed legacy of the Star Wars prequels comes from Attack of the Clones. In a now iconic scene, Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker opines to Natalie Portman about how much he hates sand. “I don’t like sand. It’s coarse and rough and irritating — and it gets everywhere,” Anakin famously says, before stroking Natalie Portman’s back and continuing, “here, everything is soft and smooth.”
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Christensen has finally shared his thoughts on the iconic scene, and its immoveable place in meme culture. “You know, I think it’s funny people have taken such an interest in that line. Some of the dialogue is…different from what you’re maybe expecting. But I never had any issue with that line,” he said. “I understood Anakin’s feelings toward sand, but maybe it was a bit of an odd time to bring it up, as he’s flirting with this girl who he has so much affection for. But, you know, he’s Anakin.”
As a staunch defender of the prequels, I’m glad Christensen comes to his character’s defence here. Anakin is only 19 when he says this, after all. How many of us can say we were experts at flirting at that age?
Obi-Wan Kenobi is streaming now on Disney+.