How Close Are Hayden Christensen And Rosario Dawson?
Especially in recent months, fans have been buzzing about Hayden Christensen’s return to films and tv shows. The actor may have shied away from film and tv projects over the years, but it seems he’s ready to take his place in the spotlight once again. In fact, Christensen is gearing up to reprise the role of Darth Vader in the upcoming Star Wars mini-series Obi-Wan Kenobi. And when news broke that this was happening, nobody could probably be happier than Christensen’s fellow actor, Rosario Dawson.
Perhaps, what many don’t realize is that Dawson and Christensen have known each other for years. That’s because they were also co-stars at one point. Meanwhile, it was also recently confirmed that the actors will be reuniting onscreen again as Christensen will be joining Dawson in the other Star Wars series Ahsoka. And while they haven’t worked together recently, fans still wonder just how close Christensen and Dawson have become over the years.
Hayden Christensen And Rosario Dawson Share An Alma Mater
Prior to booking roles in Hollywood, Dawson had studied in the famed Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute at the insistence of her family. “My dad’s mom said, ‘Well, if you’re going to do that, and you’re 16 years old, then you need to study acting,’ and put me in Strasberg,” the actress recalled while speaking with Vanity Fair. “And it happened to be that summer when Hayden Christensen was in—we had the same class.”
In the end, Dawson ended up attending acting school with Christensen and two-time Oscar nominee Scarlett Johansson. The entire time, Dawson recalled that both of her schoolmates stood out. “I’ll never forget Scarlett at 10 years old in overalls with that same exact raspy voice, and everyone going: ‘She’s one to watch,’” she recalled while speaking with Backstage. “Same thing with Hayden.” It’s also safe to say that Christensen and Dawson, in particular, became quite close during this time. The two would also be pictured together over the years.
Hayden Christensen And Rosario Dawson Started Out Around The Same Time
Unbeknownst to many, both actors had started their Hollywood careers back in 90s. Around this time, Christensen booked several tv roles before eventually getting cast in Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides alongside Kirsten Dunst, James Hartnett, and James Woods. On the other hand, Dawson made her big screen debut in the critically acclaimed 1995 film Kids. She then went on to do several other films, including Josie and the Pussycats, The Adventures of Pluto Nash, and Men in Black II.
Not long after, Christensen also found himself venturing into the Star Wars universe after getting cast as Anakin Skywalker. As for Dawson, the actress continued to book film roles. Just a few years later, the two would also meet on a film set.
Hayden Christensen And Rosario Dawson Starred Together In This Critically Acclaimed Film
After being introduced as Anakin in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Christensen also soon booked the lead role in the biographical drama Shattered Glass. The film is based on the real-life story of disgraced journalist Stephen Glass who was found to be fabricating his stories for The New Republic magazine.
Meanwhile, Dawson plays Andy Fox, a Forbes reporter who questions the accuracy of Glass’ stories and confronts him about it. On the film, Dawson and Christensen didn’t really get to share much screen time. However, it’s safe to say that the two enjoyed catching up with each other on the set.
Rosario Dawson Thinks She Was Meant To Join Star Wars Because Of Hayden Christensen
By the time Jon Favreau introduced The Mandalorian to the Star Wars universe, people had been fan casting Dawson in the role of Ahsoka for years. As some may know, Ahsoka and Anakin had been close before he ultimately switched over to the Dark Side. And so, when fans kept insisting that Dawson should play Ahsoka, she couldn’t help but feel that it was meant to be herself. “I always just thought it was really cool that I knew someone who was not just in Star Wars but played Anakin Skywalker,” Dawson told Vanity Fair. “Ahsoka was his Padawan, so when the fan-casting came out, I just thought it was pretty wild that I visually connected to this character from being this teenager who met this actor who ended up being this great character. I don’t know, it just felt like the Force was at play.”
Years later, Dawson’s fan casting would also help persuade Dave Filoni that the actress would be perfect to portray Ahsoka in Favreau's The Mandalorian and Filoni's own upcoming series.. And when he learned about Dawson’s connection to Christensen, he knew it was fate. “I have to say, for Dave, going online and looking up things — when he came across a photo of the two of us hugging each other, he lost it,” Dawson told StarWars.com. “He said, ‘How is this…? This was meant to be.’”
At the moment, there is no set release date yet for Ahsoka.
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