You know, Horace was right about you, Guy; you are the smart one. Lenny is the fool, Jimmy is the… talent, and Faye is… well, now, Faye is special, isn’t she? And you are the smart one. That’s what I think, anyway.
Hayden Christensen arrived seemingly out of nowhere to land the role of pre-Vader Anakin Skywalker, becoming one of Hollywood's hottest stars overnight and largely untested as a screen presence. After a respected turn in Life As A House (see previous episode!), the Attack of the Clones reviews soured audiences on this brand new star. The very next year, he gave a terrific performance in Shattered Glass as journalist Stephen Glass who famously fabricated stories for The New Republic. But awards bodies overlooked Christensen's work and instead nominated the rising Peter Sarsgaard as Glass' pseudo-rival Chuck Lane.
This episode, we talk about the Entertainment Weekly It List that was Christensen's first debut post-Star Wars casting and his return to the franchise. We also talk about director/writer Billy Ray, Sarsgaard's near nomination here, and journalism movies that were successful with Oscar.
Topics also include working with fact checkers, college group watch television, and the 2003 Independent Spirit Awards.
Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again Trailer
A sequel to the Night at the Museum films, Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again follows Larry Daley’s high school aged son Nick as he takes over for his father as the museum’s night watchman for the summer. He’s well aware of the ancient tablet that brings the museum’s denizens to life at night and is happy to see his old friends. However, Kahmunrah has escaped and plans to free the Army of the Dead and conquer the world.
Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again stars the voice talents of Joshua Bassett, Jamie Demetriou, Alice Isaaz, Gillian Jacobs, Joseph Kamal, Thomas Lennon, Zachary Levi, Akmal Saleh, Kieran Sequoia, Jack Whitehall, Bowen Yang, and Steve Zahn. Matt Danner directs the film from a screenplay by Ray DeLaurentis and Will Schifrin. Music is by John Paesano.
Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again hits Disney+ on December 9, 2022.