There is little doubt that the Star Wars Universe has its share of aliens who speak in their own unique language. However, there's one specific language that was created not by writers but by Hayden Christensen! The Obi-Wan Kenobi actor has just revealed that he had to improvise Wattanese in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones!
In Attack of the Clones, Anakin Skywalker returns to Tatooine where he reunites with Watto, his former slave master who tells him that his mother Shmi Skywalker had been sold away. It's a brief exchange but it was memorable for Hayden Christensen who invented Watto's language overnight!
"I don’t know that I have a scene that I was most proud of, but there’s a scene where Anakin goes back to Tatooine in Episode II and speaks to Watto. The script had the dialogue written in English and then, in parentheses, it said: 'in Wattanese,'" Christensen told The Hollywood Reporter. He then added that George Lucas made him invent the language from scratch.
"It wasn’t until the day before we started filming that I went to George, and I was like, 'What should Wattanese sound like?' And he was like, 'Well, you know, so long as it doesn’t sound like English or any other language that might sound familiar. You can just make it up,'" Christensen added with a laugh. He continued by admitting that he stayed up all night to figure it out.
"So, I was rushing the night before to try to figure out how to make up Wattanese, and every time I see that scene, I get a bit of a kick out of it," Christensen stated.
It's awesome to know that Hayden Christensen got to do something awesome while working on the Star Wars prequel films. With that in mind, we're happy to know he is back as Darth Vader this year.
Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 5 will premiere on. Disney+ on June 15, 2022.
Related: Obi-Wan Kenobi Star Rupert Friend Debunks Grand Inquisitor's Death
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