13 Actors Were Considered to Play Anakin in 'Star Wars' Before Hayden Christensen Was Cast (An A-Lister Reportedly Turned the Offer Down!)

Hayden Christensen landed what was Hollywood’s biggest role at the time when he was cast as Anakin Skywalker in 2002′s Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, and he did so after beating out some serious A-listers for the role!

The Star Wars prequel movies tracked Anakin’s evolution from a talented young child through his descent into the Dark Side of the Force. It ended with him ultimately becoming Darth Vader, the villainous character fans of the franchise were already familiar with from creator George Lucas‘ first trio of movies.

1999′s Episode I – The Phantom Menace introduced Anakin as a child played by Jake Lloyd. However, a 10-year time lapse meant that the role had to be recast for the sequel. Before Hayden booked the part, 300 actors reportedly auditioned.

Over the years, 13 of those actors have been identified, including a fan-favorite movie star who seemingly turned the role down for a simple reason.

Scroll through a rundown of all the actors who were in the running to play a young Darth Vader in the Star Wars movies…