After his recent appearance as Anakin Skywalker in the new Star Wars Disney+ series Ahsoka, Hayden Christensen has entered the spotlight once again. In the mid-2000s, Christensen starred in the immensely successful (yet divisive) Star Wars prequels, Episode II – Attack of the Clones and Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.
With those films, Christensen became a recognizable name and face to many casual and die-hard Star Wars fans worldwide. Although he and the franchise parted ways for over a decade after the release of Episode III, his returns in both Ahsoka and the Obi-Wan Kenobi show have brought him back into the public consciousness once again.
Although Star Wars is without a doubt the most well-known aspect of Christensen’s career, the franchise does not encapsulate all the actor’s creative works. Like any other actor, he entered the profession because of his love for the art form. Star Wars was just an unexpected development along that road. While he purposely stepped out of the limelight and fame of big-budget filmmaking for a long while, Christensen has still built out a decent catalog of work. Here are the 10 biggest non-Star Wars films and shows that feature Christensen.
10 Shattered Glass (2003)
Between the release of Attack of the Clones in 2002 and Revenge of the Sith in 2005, Christensen starred in the dramatic biopic Shattered Glass. The film tells the real story of a journalist who had secretly been fabricating many of the stories he wrote. Directed by Billy Ray and based on the novel of the same name by H. G. Bissinger, Christensen played the lead role in the film, and he co-starred alongside Peter Sarsgaard, Melanie Lynskey, Steve Zahn, and his eventual Ahsoka co-star, Rosario Dawson.
Shattered Glass was a big success with critics, who praised the film for its compelling narrative and the strong performances from the cast. Christensen and Sarsgaard, in particular, gave outstanding performances that received some awards’ recognition.
9 In The Mouth of Madness (1994)
When he was just 13 years old, Christensen made his feature film debut in the horror flick In the Mouth of Madness. Directed by the legendary John Carpenter, In the Mouth of Madness follows an insurance investigator who slowly loses his mind while visiting a small town after a horror writer’s disappearance. Admittedly, Christensen only has a small role in the film, as he plays a paperboy who only briefly appears. The lead cast of the film consists of Sam Neill, Charlton Heston, Julie Carmen, and Jürgen Prochnow. While Christensen may not play a major role in the film, having his first feature film be one from a director like Carpenter is nothing to be scoffed at.
8 Higher Ground (2000)
Higher Ground was not a feature film in Christensen’s career; rather, it was a television series that he starred in. The show only ran for one season, which consisted of 22 episodes, but it did a lot to boost the young actor’s career. He was only in his late teen years at the time, and his performance as Scott Barringer was considered to be one of the strongest aspects of the show.
Although it was a well-reviewed series, and it had decent viewership numbers, it was canceled as a result of its network being sold to another company. However, the pilot of Higher Ground did reach the eyes of Mr. George Lucas, who then expressed interest in Christensen auditioning for the role of Anakin Skywalker. The announcement of Christensen’s casting in Star Wars was made midway through the show’s only season.
7 Vanishing on 7th Street (2010)
Following his run with Star Wars, Christensen starred in a number of different genre films. One of which was the 2010 thriller Vanishing on 7th Street, which was set in a post-apocalyptic Detroit in which a majority of the population suddenly disappeared. Christensen played the lead role of a reporter named Luke Ryder, and he was joined by the likes of Thandiwe Newton and John Leguizamo. The film, directed by Brad Anderson (The Machinist, The Call), was made on a small budget, and it received a very limited release, only playing in six theaters in addition to its availability on Microsoft’s Zune and Xbox Live platforms.
6 Life as a House (2001)
The last film of Christensen’s career pre-Star Wars was the 2001 drama Life as a House. Directed by Irwin Winkler, the movie starred Kevin Kline, Kristin Scott Thomas and Christensen, with key supporting roles filled by Jena Malone and Mary Steenburgen. The story focuses on a father (Kline) who wishes to repair his relationship with his ex-wife and son (Thomas and Christensen) after he receives a terminal cancer diagnosis.
While the film itself received mixed reviews, the performances were seen as the strongest aspect. At just 19 years old, Christensen received his first Golden Globe and SAG nominations, in addition to winning the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures’ award for Breakthrough Performance.
5 The Virgin Suicides (1999)
Another major film in Christensen’s early career was 1999’s The Virgin Suicides, from director Sofia Coppola. The film stars James Woods, Kirsten Dunst, Kathleen Turner, and Josh Hartnett, and it was Coppola’s directorial debut. It was well-received at the time, and it has continued to become increasingly well-regarded over the years. Christensen only plays a small part in the film, as he appears in the minor role of Jake Hill Conley, though his inclusion within the film is a solid addition to his resume.
4 Takers (2010)
Another one of Christensen’s more notable films post-Star Wars was the 2010 heist film Takers. Christensen was a central part of the film’s ensemble cast, which included the likes of Idris Elba, Paul Walker, Zoe Saldaña, Tip “T.I.” Harris, Matt Dillon and Jay Hernandez. Though the film was not well-reviewed, it performed strongly at the box office, pulling in $70 million on a budget of $32 million. It also received several awards and nominations from the BET Awards, the Black Reel Awards, and the NAACP Image Awards.
3 Jumper (2008)
After the release of Revenge of the Sith in 2005, the first major blockbuster of Christensen’s career was Jumper in 2008. That film was directed by Doug Liman, who had previously helmed films such as Swingers, The Bourne Identity and Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and it adapts a sci-fi novel from 1992 written by Steven Gould. Christensen starred in the film as David Rice, who discovers he has the ability to teleport anywhere in the world.
The rest of the cast consists of Jamie Bell, Samuel L. Jackson, Rachel Bilson, Michael Rooker, Kristen Stewart, and Diane Lane. It was a solid hit, grossing $225 million at the box office on a budget of $85 million. Unfortunately, the generally negative reaction to the film resulted in no sequel being developed.
2 Goosebumps (1997)
10 years prior, Christensen was still building a career for himself as a teen actor. After TV roles in the likes of 1995’s Harrison Bergeron and 1996’s No Greater Love, the then 15-year-old actor landed a lead role in a two-part episode of the popular Goosebumps television series, based on the famous novels from R. L. Stine. Christensen’s two episodes were the final two of the show’s second season, and they were titled “Night of the Living Dummy III.” The episodes were another entry in the series’ famous haunted ventriloquist doll concept, with Christensen playing the character of Zane O’Dell.
1 New York, I Love You (2008)
Finally, the last film we want to include on this list is the 2008 romantic comedy New York, I Love You. This film was the latest of its era to tackle the idea of telling a number of different, vaguely related stories. Specifically, New York, I Love You consisted of 11 short love stories set in New York, which were compiled together into one 100-minute film.
Throughout the film, actors such as Natalie Portman, Orlando Bloom, Bradley Cooper, Shia LaBeouf, Blake Lively, James Caan, Anton Yelchin and many more were featured. Christensen’s segment of the film was directed by Jiang Wen, and it saw him star alongside Rachel Bilson and Andy Garcia.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
