Hayden Christensen Brings Daughter Briar Rose to Her Red Carpet Debut — and She Had the Sweetest Reaction to His Darth Vader Role

There are Hollywood debut moments, and then there are this kind of debut moments. Hayden Christensen brought his 11-year-old daughter Briar Rose as his plus-one to the opening night of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles on Saturday, 19 September — and in doing so, gave her a red carpet entrance that could hardly have been more fitting.

The museum, founded by Star Wars creator George Lucas, was the perfect backdrop for the proud father-daughter outing. Christensen, 45, cut a polished yet relaxed figure in a navy suit jacket, a Lucasfilm T-shirt, dark fitted jeans and brown brogues. Briar, meanwhile, charmed onlookers in a white lace dress, posing hand-in-hand with her dad for photographers.

Speaking to E! News in an exclusive interview at the event, Christensen was visibly moved by the occasion. "This is really special for me," he said. "We're very happy to be here, and it's a real treat to get to share this with my daughter."

And Briar, it turns out, is well acquainted with her father's legendary alter ego. Asked what it's like seeing dad on the big screen as Darth Vader, the youngster kept it wonderfully straightforward: "It was really cool when I saw him up there." Simple, sincere, and utterly adorable.

Christensen first suited up as the iconic villain in the 2002 film Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones, before reprising the role in 2005's Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith. Speculation has been swirling about whether he might return to the franchise, and the actor didn't exactly shut the door on the idea. "I would be thrilled to get to do that," he told E! News. "But right now, those are just rumors."

He did, however, reflect warmly on the renewed appreciation for the prequel trilogy. "It's been a journey getting here," he shared, "but it's been really nice to see the affection that people have for those films now."

Briar Rose was born in October 2014 to Christensen and his former partner Rachel Bilson, also 45. The pair began dating in 2007 after working together, and were reported to have become engaged in 2008, though neither publicly confirmed it at the time. They separated in 2017, but by all accounts have built an impressively warm dynamic since then — one that puts Briar firmly at the centre.

Bilson opened up about their arrangement on the January episode of the Let's Be Honest with Kristin Cavallari podcast. "Ours is like a unique version of it, we get along very well," she said. "We do a lot of stuff together. A lot."

She also noted that Briar has taken the peculiarities of having two famous parents entirely in her stride. "Especially her dad will get recognised, and it doesn't even register with her," Bilson told Cavallari. "She has a really good attitude about it. We're just mom and dad — it's definitely good."

Fans were quickly captivated by the rare public appearance, with debate erupting online over just who Briar takes after most. "She's looking like her mom," wrote one user on X, while another agreed: "omg she looks JUST like Rachel Bilson LOL them genes strong." One dissenting voice countered: "Mini Him — so beautiful." In truth, observers seem divided — though most agree the youngster is utterly enchanting either way.

For Christensen, who has largely kept Briar away from the public eye, Saturday's outing felt like a carefully chosen moment — sentimental, fitting, and very much on his own terms. With a Lucasfilm T-shirt, a beaming daughter by his side, and a universe of speculation about his future in that galaxy far, far away, it's safe to say the Force remains very much with him.