Rachel Bilson has shared why her and Hayden Christensen's daughter has not seen Star Wars yet. The couple, though now split, have raised their 6-year-old Briar Rose relatively shadowed from their lives as actors. This includes keeping her from watching the Star Wars films, where her father happened to play one of the most legendary villains of all time, Darth Vader—at least for now.
Christensen appeared as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, portraying the character as he slowly turns to the dark side on account of his declining trust for the Jedi and the obsession with saving his wife Padme (Natalie Portman) from dying during childbirth. His performance, though questionable in its quality, earned him an iconic status amongst Star Wars actors from the original trilogy and prequels alike.
According to E!, Bilson shared in a Betches Moms podcast that her and Christensen have told their daughter that they are both actors, but she simply does not fully understanding the extent of their fame. Bilson elaborates that Briar Rose knows her father was in Star Wars, but is yet to learn about his iconic status as the actor of the young Darth Vader.
"She has no idea what that even means, because she hasn't seen anything. And thank God, because he kills children, so let's keep that from her until she's like 80."
It is quite understandable for any parent to avoid showing the Star Wars prequels to their children. The trilogy ends in tragedy rather than triumph (as the original trilogy and the sequels do), and offers some of the franchise's most darkest scenes and elements. One of Anakin's most villainous acts in the character's entire arc occurs in Revenge of the Sith when he arrives at the Jedi temple and slaughters all of the defenseless younglings. For any 6-year-old, the scene would be quite disturbing to watch, and would be especially scarring for the young Briar Rose considering the murderer in the scene has the face of her dad.
However, it seems as though the secret of Briar Rose's dad's legacy cannot be kept much longer. The now 39-year-old actor is set to reprise his role as Anakin Skywalker in the upcoming Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi. It is going to be hard for Christensen to get away with having a secret acting job, especially when the same actor is returning to such a highly-anticipated role with a fan base of all ages. In typical Star Wars fashion, a secret about a father's identity is about to be revealed.
Source: E!