Hayden Christensen isn't worried he'll get typecast as Darth Vader the way the villain's two kids did. Christensen figures times have changed since the original "Star Wars" trilogy, which hampered the careers of Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher because they were so associated with the roles of Darth's children, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia.
"I haven't had that problem so far," said Christensen. Since being cast as since he was cast as Anakin Skywalker, the future Vader, he has starred in two smaller character pieces, "Life as a House" and "Shattered Glass," and in an upcoming adaptation of Boccaccio's "The Decameron."
"I think it's a little dated, to be honest, the whole typecast thing," Christensen recently told The Associated Press. "I think 20 years ago, 30 years ago, there was only one blockbuster that came out every few years, and so audiences got such a strong association with the actor and the role in the film. Now, there's four or five a summer."
Christensen was plucked from relative obscurity by George Lucas to star as the teenage Anakin in "Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones."
With "Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith," debuting May 19, Lucas brings the Skywalker saga full circle as Anakin takes the final steps to the dark side and puts on the black Vader suit fans fondly recall from the first trilogy.
While he believes he can avoid becoming typecast, Christensen expects Darth Vader always will be the role for which audiences will best remember him.
"Obviously, it's a very iconic role, so I think inevitably that will always be the strongest association," Christensen said. "I'm happy about that, to sort of always be remembered as Darth. That's what people come up to me and shake my hand for. That's cool."