He's already Anakin. And now he's simply It.

Entertainment Weekly magazine has made Thornhill-raised actor Hayden Christensen the emblem for its summer "It List" of "The 100 Most Creative People In Entertainment."

The 19-year-old, who will play Anakin Skywalker in the next two Star Wars movies, is on the cover of the magazine's June 30/July 7 double issue. He's posing with a helmet of Darth Vader, the evil character his Jedi knight evolves into.

Shooting of Star Wars: Episode II began this week in Australia.

EW calls Christensen the "It Force," their first-ever "It Boy," and the "lucky buck who beat out Ryan Phillippe, Chris Klein, and Colin Hanks ... for the role every young actor hoped to score."

Christensen cites The Simpsons and Curious George as his biggest influences.

"They showed me it was okay to be mischievous," he told the mag.

For unlikely inspiration, he credits the drug addicts who hung out near his old Vancouver apartment as helping him get in touch with the druggie teen character he played on the TV series Higher Ground. That show will premiere here this fall on ONtv.

Other Canadians who made EW's list:

Shock comic Tom Green, 28, as "It Cancer Man."

London, Ont.-based teen girl group Kittie, as "It Loudmouths."

And starwars.com Web site master Paul Ens, 29, as "It Fanatic."


More Artists