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HAYDEN Christensen talks about appearing in sci-fi thriller Jumper, the allure of teleportation and whether or not he feels he has escaped the Star Wars association with his career post playing Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader…

What was it like working with Doug Liman?
Hayden Christensen: I think Doug has really made efforts to challenge himself and do something new and original. And he also encourages his actors to try different things as well. Every aspect of making this film was really unique and felt innovative, from Doug’s approach to telling the story to taking a genre that people are really familiar with and trying to reinvent it. We have the guys that created bullet time for The Matrix working on the visual effects on this movie and they were developing technology all the way through the film. So, every aspect felt like you were doing something new.

Q. Was the number of locations part of the appeal of doing the role?
Hayden Christensen: Yeah, I really love to travel, so when I read the script and saw all the locations we were going to cover I got excited. We spent a lot of time on planes, in transit – I wish I could teleport! But we were all over the place. We were using this new camera technology where they could literally have this crew of two or three people and we could just roam around the streets and shoot stuff. There were quite a few times where people would recognise me, or us, working on what was clearly a very small scale operation – some might say it looked like a student film or something. So I look forward to those people seeing the movie and all the action that comes with it.

Q. What was the shortest time you spent in any of the exotic locations you visit?
Hayden Christensen: Well, Doug’s approach to filmmaking in general is pretty unique. He has a range of how he approaches the movie from big scale production to literally sort of showing up with the camera at my door and saying: “Let’s film around New York for the day… Or Paris for the day.” We were in Paris, I think, for five hours. I think he likes the down and dirty guerilla filmmaking.

Q. Did you do any research on teleportation to prepare for the role?
Hayden Christensen: I didn’t do a lot of research on the actual science of teleportation to be honest. I didn’t really feel that it would inform my performance – although, because I spent a lot of time thinking about it, I got really interested in it. Doug and I actually got to go to MIT and sit on a panel with two professors who were experts in quantum teleportation, which is a form of teleportation that actually exists. In a very limited context they managed to teleport a proton particle of light over a distance of a couple of kilometres, which I think is pretty amazing. They spoke very intelligently about the actual science of it – I wish I could do the same – but it was very impressive and it got me excited.

Q. The film looks physical – is that you up there a lot of the time? And did you sustain many injuries?
Hayden Christensen: It was a physical part and I got knocked around quite a bit. But I don’t mind it. I sort of enjoy the physicality of acting and I like action movies. I’m happy to do as much as possible – obviously, they won’t let you do all of it because they won’t let you kill yourself. But I tried to do as much as possible – although that doesn’t mean I did it all [smiles]. I got a nice scar across my hand, I pulled my ear open and I knocked my head really badly so that my pupil got stuck in this extremely dilated position which was really disturbing because I couldn’t see. We kept a list of injuries sustained and it got pretty long by the end of the movie.

Q. Did you ever feel like you were always on planes shooting this movie?
Hayden Christensen: [Laughs] We did spend a lot of time on planes. Actually, Jamie [Bell] and I, when we were travelling from Toronto to Rome, we were on the same flight and after a couple of beers we decided it would be fun to make a kind of mock-umentary of what it would be like for jumpers who couldn’t jump and who had to just travel on a plane and deal with all the nuisances of regular transport. So, I got some footage of Jamie wreaking havoc on this airport and him poking fun at everybody on the plane. He’s got a really good sense of humour [laughs].

Q. How easy has it been to overcome the Anakin Skywalker role in Star Wars? And do you feel that you have?
Hayden Christensen: I don’t know. I don’t know if I have overcome it – that’s for you guys to say. I mean, I think that’s something that will follow me for the rest of my life. There will always be people outside of the hotels waiting with Star Wars pictures. I had a great experience with making those films and I’m very fond of everything that they brought. But I don’t think it’s anything that will ever leave me.

Q. Do you feel that appearing in those films has helped your career and opened more doors for you as an actor?
Hayden Christensen: I don’t think Doug cast me in this off of Star Wars. He was more interested in Shattered Glass and that’s what he spoke to me about. There were certain aspects of my performance in that he was interested in. But Star Wars did open a lot of doors for me and I’m extremely grateful to have been a part of a movie like that.

Q. Do you know anything about a sequel to Jumper and would you be open to it?
Hayden Christensen: Don’t know too much about it but I’d be very open to it. I’d love to do it actually. I think the story lends itself to continuing. I had a lot of fun on this movie and I think there’s a lot of fun to be had with the concept of teleportation. Speaking with the scientists, they explained about all of the possibilities and I think that got Doug excited. He said at a press conference in Rome that he already had the next four stories planned out in his head so we’ll see…

Q. Finally, if you had a superpower what would it be?
Hayden Christensen: I might go for teleportation. Honestly, just the practicality of it is really appealing to me – to not have to get on trains or get stuck in traffic and all the things that get under my skin.

He might have starred as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars episodes II and II - but Hollywood hearthrob Hayden Christensen says he’s just a farmer at heart.

The actor said he’d rather be tending fields than have a life similar to that of the character in his new film Jumper, in which he plays a guy who has the ability to teleport himself anywhere, at any time.

Christensen uses his super powers to do everything from robbing banks to standing on top of Big Ben.

But he told Newsbeat his real life is much more chilled after buying a farm last year.

He said: “I’m having to figure out how to cut hayfields, grow vegetables and look after apple orchards.

“I’m baking apple pies, apple sauce, I’ve pretty much figured out everything you can do with an apple.”

Hey gang - I’m back! Yes, the world-weary traveller has returned with exclusive on location pics and interviews from the Jumper junket held in both Cairo and Rome! What are you waiting for - lets jump to it!

Yes friends, you read that right - a double location interview! Why, do you ask? Well, Jumper is a film like no other. It follows the journey of David Rice (Hayden Christenson) as he discovers his ability to “jump” or teleport anywhere in the world, learns to harness his newfound ability and the spoils of a life lived without regret or responsibility.

Throughout the course of the film, David jumps to more locations that you could possibly imagine, often many in a minute. His days consist of surfing in Bali, one-night stands in London and sunbaking naps atop the Sphinx…. which is where I came in! In order to promote the film in the coolest way possible, I scored the chance to interview the main cast in Cairo, Egypt - and then jump with them into the Colisseum in Rome! This was a particularly exciting turn of events, as Jumper was the first film ever granted permission to film inside the ancient wonder, meaning we were the first to do interviews on the very floor where the gladiators of old did battle!To kick things off for this post in style, why not check out my exclusive on-location photos from Cairo and Rome!

After 34 hours of travelling, I finally arrived in Cairo and headed to my hotel. The next day, we were taken to a super-secret location to watch the film before the rest of the world - you can check out my review a little further down in the post.

The next morning, we were transported bright and early to our filming locations on the West Bank, approximately 30 metres from the Sphinx with the Great Pyramids as a backdrop. Not too shabby, hey?! I was in the second group of interviewers, so group B was taken on a brief tour while group A began grilling the stars.

I can’t put in words how amazing an experience it was to descend into a pyramid; rather than trying, I’ll simply show this photo, taken right afterwards, where you can clearly see me jumping for Jumper

It was time to head back down to the Sphinx in order to prepare… and prepared I most certainly was. I think I ended up having around 40 pages of notes, so I knew stuff. There was no way I was getting caught out!

First up was Jamie Bell, best known for his breakout performance as the lead in Billy Elliot, as well as UK indie Hallam Foe and a small role in King Kong. In the film he plays Griffin, a jumper who has lived with the reality of his situation since his first run in with the deadly, jumper-hunting baddie group the Paladins at a very young age. Jamie blew me away with how charmingly affable he was and the two of us quickly fell into a chat rather than an interview… There was definitely a shared vibe of “what on earth are we doing here?!” between us, as we kept looking at the Sphinx and simply shaking our heads!

Next was Rachel Bilson, who plays David’s lifelong crush. I have to admit right out of the gate, Rachel was my big time teenage crush thanks to The OC and reminded me why in 2007’s The Last Kiss. As you can imagine I was pretty nervous, but she was so sweet I soon relaxed. I was rather impressed with myself on one question; I asked her about her dad’s feeling towards her being in a sci-fi movie, as Danny Bilson is a well known sci-fi and comic book writer. I mean, he wrote The Flash tv show!

After a brief break, I was up with Hayden Christensen. I’m not going to put up a face; I was positively geeking out when he shook my hand hello and my only thought was, “Don’t call him Anakin”. Hayden had nothing but nice things to say about Australia, having spent so much time here filming the Star Wars prequels. Unfortunately (for me), the chair I was sitting on had a leg snap four minutes into the interview and I fell completely off-camera! After at least a minute straight of laughing on everyone’s part, I picked myself back up, pulled it together and we returned to talking.

Watch my interview with Hayden now!

Finally, I got to sit down with director Doug Liman. The man is a personal hero of mine, having brought us Swingers, Go, The Bourne Identity and Mr & Mrs Smith. The sheer magnitude of his awesomeness hung thick in the air as the two of us went in depth on sci-fi, teleportation theory and comic book lore. Yep, I talked with one of my favourite directors about the journey of an anti-hero, and the dude gets it. Without a doubt, the highlight of the day!

I then spent a few minutes recording some pick-ups, intros and outros directly in front of the Sphinx before we were bundled back on the bus and jetsetted to Rome. Ah, wait. I mean, jumped to Rome. Yes, we jumped to Rome straight from Cairo and got back to interviewing!

After being led out to an area inaccessible to the public and taken onto the restored gladiatorial arena floor, we saw the camera guys somehow beat us there and were set to begin a whirlwird session of short interviews. You can watch a brief highlights reel of my footage from Rome - it’ll give you an idea of how beautiful the setting for these interviews were.

Make sure you check back regularly throughout the week, as I’ll be uploading new interviews and you can’t afford to miss them - if the names and location aren’t enough to draw you in, I feel this is some of my best work and I’m really proud of it. Finally, I’ll be taking a look at Jumper: Jumpscars, the graphic novel released concurrently with the film that follows Diane Lane’s character.

RIVETINGLY RELEVANT REVIEW

Jumper

It has been several years since cinema has experienced a fresh anti-hero but in Jumper’s David Rice (Hayden Christensen), we may have our new poster-boy for anguished heroism. As a bullied, depressed teen, a life threatening situation shows David that encoded in his genes is the ultimate escape clause - he can teleport at will, permitting he has seen the location or has a photo of where he where he wants to jump to.

He escapes the hardships of his youth, leaving behind his lifelong crush Millie (Rachel Bilson) for a solitary life of doing exactly what he wants, when he wants. As the first act David performs in his new life, he teleports himself into a bank vault several times over in order to set himself up for life.

It is in this mentality that the film sets itself apart from every other superhero film - in Jumper, with great power comes great opportunity. As in life itself, however, for every action there is an equal response. David unfortunately comes onto the radar of the mysterious Paladins, led by Roland (Samuel L Jackson in classic bad-guy mode). The Paladins have commited themselves to ridding the earth of jumpers, seeing them as an abomination - “Only God should have the power to be everywhere at once.” The Paladins have become aware that jumpers tear the fabric of reality each time they move and vow to bring them to an end.

Fortunately for David, he finds an ally early in his battle for survival in Griffin (Jamie Bell), a jumper younger than he with a superior grasp on his powers. Griffin has been on the run for years and holds a personal grudge against Roland, having sworn to get his revenge for setting Griffin down the path his life has led.

If you’re a fan of X-Men, The Bourne series or The Matrix, I can’t recommend the film highly enough. Action-packed from beginning to end, the pace is kept tight as battles take place in locations all over the globe. These scenes are the definite highlights of the film, as a fight may begin in the desert in Egypt, move to the top of a New York high-rise before an amazing jump-filled chase down a wintery beach. Director Doug Liman has once again taken an anti-hero and crafted a tale that causes him to face the consequences of the life he has made for and to decide, once and for all, whether he can rise to the challenge and become the hero our world needs.

And with that, I’m off - as I said, come back regularly to score more in-depth coverage of the year’s biggest blockbuster!

Will you hand me a tulip, Tulip?

~T

Hayden Christensen no longer yearns to teleport himself away from interviews. He saves that skill for his new movie, “Jumper.”

Christensen folds his 6-foot-2 frame into a cramped dressing room at MTV’s “TRL” studio. He wears a black Navy peacoat throughout the interview and Chuck Taylors that won’t likely touch the snowy streets outside too much. He’s on a promotional whirlwind in Manhattan after junkets in London, Rome and Cairo, Egypt. Talking about himself and his movies, even in a quickie chat, is reflex now.

The car is waiting.

He remembers when he wasn’t so rushed, as an unknown Canadian actor learning his craft in drama school.

“When I was doing ‘Awake’ here, I had an apartment in Union Square, which is right around the Lee Strasberg Institute,” he says. “And I used to walk by those red doors just to reminisce. … I never really thought that I’d get to be a part of the movies that I have been a part of.”

He occupies a significant place in cinema history, having played Anakin Skywalker and eventually his incarnation Darth Vader in the “Star Wars” prequels “Attack of the Clones” (2002) and “Revenge of the Sith” (2005).

He’s probably part of cinema’s future, too. Only it is far less certain what that future is. Christensen, just 26, is looking to gain traction post- George Lucas. He made a movie called “Virgin Territory” set during the plague, and its domestic release has stalled. He co-starred with Jessica Alba in the ticket-repelling “Awake.”

In a slump are you, Yoda might say. “I don’t really think about that stuff,” Christensen says. “That’s someone else’s job to stress about.”

“Jumper” gives the actor a high-profile chance to re-emerge as the master of his universe. It has cool-science cachet — its inhabitants can beam themselves to wherever by willing it. Its director is the cool-geeky Doug Liman, who jump-cut his way into spy-franchise prominence with 2002’s “The Bourne Identity.” And it gave an actor fated for the dark side in a popcorn space opera to experiment once again with being naughty, after Liman substituted him for the original actor cast, Tom Sturridge (“Being Julia”). Christensen’s character David steals and shows off for his screen (and rumored real-life) girlfriend Rachel Bilson (“The O.C.”) until a mysterious cop played by Samuel L. Jackson tries to stop him.

“He doesn’t really ascribe to the superhero adage of ‘with great power comes great responsibility,’”says Christensen. “For him, with great power comes whatever he wants. He doesn’t go and make himself a ridiculous costume to save the world. He goes and uses his power for his own benefit.”

Christensen is using his already-iconic self to move and shake off-screen, too. He became a producer for the first time in developing “The Beast of Bataan,” in which he also will play the lawyer for the Japanese general who led the World War II death march. “It’s really just a means to be more proactive in my career,” he says, “going out and getting stories that are of interest instead of waiting for them to come my way.”

He got into the business by doing commercial and TV work as a kid in Toronto, then earned notices south of the border with his goth crybaby in “Life as a House” (2001). In 2003, critics cheered his portrayal of nebbish desperation as the fibbing journalist Stephen Glass in “Shattered Glass.” Meanwhile, the “Star Wars” prequels gave the actor a glimpse of how quickly opinion can change. Many crucified Lucas for his wooden dialogue and Christensen for enabling it with a stiff performance.

“Obviously it’s preferable when people respond to your work in a positive light,” he says. “I sort of think it’ll take people some time before they’ll look at it with an objective perspective. Twenty years from now how people see those films and my work in those films will matter to me.”

The actor says he will never escape his connection to the franchise — and that’s fine. He says he is lucky to have been a part of it.

These days he does a pretty good job of escaping, period. He makes his home in Toronto and on a farm he recently bought just north of it. His best friend, Carlo, whom he has known since he was 6, is a construction worker. Carlo visits him on the set and remains unimpressed with the scene, the actor says.

“I’ve found my circle of friends now that will remain consistent,” he says. “I think I do have a good radar for how genuine someone is.”

Christensen limits his time in Los Angeles to meetings and the occasional shoot. When asked about Bilson, the doe-eyed sprite with whom he has been linked since they shot “Jumper,” he replies that he avoids addressing anything “that implies something I don’t talk about.” Yet he later mentions the he went snowboarding while accompanying her on a recent trip to Aspen, Colo.

There is talk of a “Jumper” sequel if it rings up enough cash, but Christensen says he has no plans to make another film with Bilson. In the meantime, he is trying to finalize plans for “Bataan” and perhaps pursue a film with Robert Duvall, “A Night in Old Mexico,” that the two came close to doing before it fell through. If time allows, he says, he will resume playing tennis. He looks fit despite a daily conga line of public appearances.

While in New York, Christensen was able to squeeze in time with his Long Island grandmother, Rose Schwartz, and see a few friends. Mostly, though, he beat the drum for “Jumper.”

The actual scientific study of teleportation did not come up on “TRL,” he acknowledges with a laugh, but at times he has been put on the spot. That would have been the perfect time to teleport away.

Says Christensen: “I know a thing or two, but just a thing or two.”

Although Hayden Christensen’s brilliant performances in films like Life as a House and Trapped in a Purple Haze had earned him much critical acclaim , it was his role as Anakin Skywalker (Darth Vader) in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones that made him a star. And Christensen hasn’t looked back ever since.

In the forthcoming sci-fi thriller Jumper opposite the sexy Rachel Bilson, Hayden discovers a unique power in himself. A genetic anomaly allows him to teleport himself anywhere and the actor finds himself in a war that has been raging for thousands of years between ‘Jumpers’ and those who have sworn to kill them. Here Jumper Hayden talks to BT about films and his passion for farming

Given an option, where would you like to jump to in real life?

Right now I’d go back to my farm just north of Toronto, because I haven’t been there for a little bit. But you can’t really pick one place as a Jumper, because you go everywhere. I’d want to see every square inch of the planet. I’d need about a week to be a teleporter.

How would you compare your power of ‘jumping’ to your powers in Star Wars?

I think it’s the ultimate super power. I was thinking about what would top it. I think it’s Doug Liman’s (director) secret fantasy to be able to teleport.

Is there a possibility of Jumper becoming a trilogy?

It’s not for certain, but Doug has definitely set it up in a way that would allow for that. The story and the characters are conceived in a way that allows for a lot of growth and different turns.

What attracted you to the film?

I wasn’t planning on it. When I finished the Star Wars movies, I was looking forward to just getting back to basics, and I did that for a little bit. I did some smaller movies and then when I heard about this sci-fi movie called Jumper about a guy who can teleport, I can’t say it really sparked my interest right away. But then Doug Liman was directing it, so that changed everything.

How do you retain your individuality as an actor, without always being viewed as Darth Vader?

Well, I wasn’t going to play Superman (laughs), because I played Darth Vader, but aside from that it’s not too much of a stigma. Having worked with George Lucas opens a lot of doors. I’m sure if I hadn’t done those films I wouldn’t be here.

Looking back at the Star Wars saga, do you feel any different about the experience?

I think you always feel different about things in retrospect. I’ve grown up a little bit and things change, but never with any regret to what I’ve done in the past. I knew full well what I was signing up for. I knew how big Star Wars was and this would follow me for the rest of my life. I thought it was great and a rare opportunity. Obviously when people bump into me in the street and recognise me, it’s from that film. But it’s allowed me to do this as well.

Would you like to marry and settle down on the farm?

Well, the farm goes over very well with the ladies… Definitely appeals to me (laughs).

You are a fabulous cook…

I love to cook. It’s definitely a hobby, a pastime. I’m trying to perfect the chicken roast right now. I’m trying to work on that for about half a year now.

How has your status as a star affected your dating scene?

The difference was as obvious as day and night. It was easy for me to observe the difference, because it came so quickly. The shift was so dramatic for me that at the time they announced I got the Star Wars movie everything changed, and the film hadn’t come out but everyone knew about it.

What is the downside of being famous?

I don’t know if I’d call it a downside, but people recognise you. The ability to go out and get a coffee and expect to do it without being bothered, not that it’s a bother, but that doesn’t happen.

Hayden Christensen teleports around the world in the new sci-fi movie “Jumper.” He spoke to Ramin Setoodeh.

Is it true that you own a farm?
I bought it for my family. It’s just north of Toronto, and I spend some time there.

Do you do any chores?
You can’t really classify it as a chore after you’re 16 years old.

But do you milk the cows?
I don’t have any cows to milk yet. Eventually. But I do a lot of the work myself.

Like?
Like fixing up the farmhouse. There’s a few hayfields on the property that we had to cut.

How do you cut a hayfield?
There’s a tractor that does the cutting. I can’t actually take credit for the driving of the tractor, because at the time I didn’t know how to do it. I brought in a farmer who did. But I got myself a tractor now, so next year I’ll be all over it.

Do you need a tractor license?
Good question. Not as far as I know. But I could be wrong. I know you need a license to drive a dump truck.

How do you know that?
Because I have one and I don’t have a license. That was a slight oversight on my part.

Why do you have a dump truck?
Because I have a farm.

Do you go around collecting the neighbors ‘ trash?
I’m using it more for relocating dirt on my property.
Have you ever done an interview where you weren ‘ t asked about “Star Wars”?
Very few.

Because I don ‘ t have any “Stars Wars” questions.
You’ve got no “Star Wars” questions? Amazing! You’re a rarity, my friend.

Well, now I ‘ m feeling bad.
Don’t feel bad.

How about this: do you keep a light saber on your farm?
I have a light saber from “Episode III.” I asked for one. It’s nice because before the farm, I didn’t really have a place where I could keep my stuff. I moved out of my parents’ house when I was 18, and started working right away and never settled down.

Is it a big light saber?
It’s not particularly big. It’s average size.

That ‘ s nice to know. Does it work?
None of them actually work.

Because if it did, you could cut hayfields with it.
Wouldn’t that be awesome? The visual is very funny. I can picture it.

What are you working on next?
I’m unemployed right now. But I’m happy to take a little bit of time to go back to the farm and check up on things. I’ve got a couple pigs up there.

Did you name them, or are you going to eat them, or both?
I named them Buddy and Petunia. I’m not going to eat them! Definitely not. They’re miniature puplike pigs that run around the house. They’re house pets. I used to love pork, and I can’t eat it anymore.

George Clooney used to sleep with his pig.
I don’t sleep with my pigs. But we hang out on the couch together and watch “Iron Chef.” They’re not really interested in watching TV with me. But they’re present.

Source: Newsweek.com