Armand alerts us first to another article on Hayden and his upcoming films. This one from the NY Daily News:

If an actor's roles reflected his character, Hayden Christensen might be in reform school ? or jail. In last year's Fox Family Channel series "Higher Ground," he played a troubled teen recovering from a drug habit. In Irwin Winkler's "Life as a House," opening Friday, he is a troubled teen with a drug habit.

And in the next two "Star Wars" movies, he will be Anakin Skywalker, the Jedi knight with a bully habit: He grows up to be Darth Vader. In person, there's no sign of anything dark or brooding in this slender, 20-year-old 6-footer, who still lives with his parents in Toronto and does chores around the house.

"Maybe it was my desire to portray something dark," Christensen speculates about why he excels at playing bad boys. "In trying to discover myself as an actor, I try to do whatever's the farthest from what I know is myself. I've always thought of myself as a good guy."

... Perhaps that struggle is why he was selected as Anakin Skywalker. Christensen has his own ideas on the subject.

"It's such an archetypal role," the young actor says. "If you throw a celebrity into it, you're going to see so-and-so playing Anakin Skywalker. It was important for George [Lucas] to avoid that, so I think that's one of the reasons he cast me. I was a nobody."

Another may have been his reported chemistry with Natalie Portman, who plays Queen Amidala, the woman Anakin will marry. Christensen will say little about "Star Wars: Episode 2 ? Attack of the Clones," but he does note, "Our characters are madly in love."

Christensen takes over the role from "Phantom Menace's" then-9-year-old Jake Lloyd, and his performance will segue into the Darth Vader we all know and loathe.

"'Star Wars' was very challenging because the lines were so defined," Christensen says. "I was stepping into something that pre-existed. But I do get to explore and create the transformation from someone who was so innately good to someone that we know is the most evil, darkest warlord in the universe. To do that over the course of two films seemed thrilling.

"Plus, I got to wield the light saber."

For more on Hayden in "Life As A House," click on the above link.