Obi-Wan Kenobi star Hayden Christensen has high praise for Vivien Lyra Blair's performance as young Princess Leia. The latest Star Wars TV show centers around Obi-Wan's mission to rescue a young Leia after she's kidnapped by the Third Sister. This allowed the limited series to shed light on Obi-Wan's relationship with Leia, after his dynamic with Luke had already been well-established. Over the course of their adventure together, Obi-Wan and Leia formed a special bond, adding new meaning to key aspects of A New Hope.
It can be risky to have a child actor play such a large role on a show (especially portraying an iconic character like Leia), but Lucasfilm made the right choice with Blair. From the first Obi-Wan Kenobi episode, her young Leia was a scene stealer, demonstrating many of the personality traits audiences audiences love about Carrie Fisher's performances. Even with Ewan McGregor's dedicated turn as the titular Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi probably wouldn't have worked as well if it wasn't for Blair. At least one Star Wars veteran took notice of the youngster and has considerable praise for her talents.
Speaking with E! News, Christensen discussed his thoughts on Blair's performance. He spoke very highly of the actress, noting how he saw "those little glimpses of Padme" in her performance. Check out Christensen's comments in the space below:
"I was just thrilled at seeing young Leia in this story and how's she's represented. I think they really imbued the character with all the qualities that make that character great. And young Vivien has done such a great job of bringing her to life."
One of the ways Obi-Wan Kenobi bridges the gaps between the prequel and original trilogies is connecting Leia to Padme's legacy. Multiple times in the show, Obi-Wan remarks how much Leia reminds him of her mother. Obviously, that was something the movies never explored, so it was nice Obi-Wan Kenobi dedicated time to this thread. Since Obi-Wan Kenobi touches on Obi-Wan's grief over Padme and Leia's similarities to the former senator, it's a good thing Blair was able to channel parts of Portman in her performance. Leia is being raised by the Organas on Alderaan, but it should be within her nature to emulate traits of her birth mother. By all accounts, Blair was able to pull off this tricky balancing act and did an excellent job portraying Leia at this point in her life.
It'll be interesting to see if Blair gets another chance to play young Leia. Even if Obi-Wan Kenobi season 2 were to happen, it would likely have to follow a different storyline to avoid repeating itself. Other than that, there doesn't appear to be a natural fit for Blair's Leia in another upcoming Star Wars show. Given where Andor takes place in the timeline, she could be too young to portray Leia in the Rogue One prequel. Other series, like The Mandalorian and Ahsoka, take place when Leia is a grown adult. Since Obi-Wan Kenobi is billed as a limited series, this could be Blair's one and only time, but she definitely left her mark on the legendary franchise.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is now streaming on Disney+.
Source: E! News
