Star
Wars hero Anakin Skywalker has found a new force to guide him in
his quest against evil. It's Alta Vista resident, former Canadian Olympian and Tae Kwon Do Master Sayed Najem.
Toronto actor and next-big-thing Hayden Christensen, who's pegged to play Skywalker in George Lucas' next Star Wars film, has been training with one-man army Najem in an intensive one-week session that finished last weekend.
Najem has signed a contract to continue training Christensen throughout the shoot.
"I taught him all the basic moves of martial arts, the blocks, the punches, the kicks, the mental attitude to become an actor, to become a real martial artist," he says.
"But the most important was the staff training for the light sabre."
The art of wielding that famous weapon found in all the Star Wars films, is virtually the same as that found in the Tae staff.
Najem has a black belt in staff and is a Tae Kwon Do Master -- fifth degree black belt with 20 years of training.
Najem first crossed paths with Christensen this year while training Hayden's sister Hejsa in Toronto. She asked if he could "do her a small favour" and train her brother.
He agreed reluctantly. "I don't work for free," he reasons.
While Christensen had been cast in a role that would ensure his celebrity, that was still embargoed information. He didn't even have enough money to buy Najem's plane ticket to Toronto.
A goldmine
But enough hints were dropped for Najem to realize that he was sitting on a goldmine that might open some doors for his own career in the dream machine.
He would not say no to a career in movies and television.
So, he paid his own way and gave Christensen the mechanics to become a convincing swordsman and pugilist.
"This kid is going to be the biggest celebrity in the world,"says Najem enthusiastically. "He picked up the martial arts big time after only one week. He's so focused, he learns fast and yet he's so humble and quiet, I love it."
Najem says and does everything enthusiastically. Full of energy and hope, he had a surprising effect on Christensen.
"During our training, we created a bond with each other," he says. "When you begin training, it's 80% physical and 20% mental. But in a competition at this level, it's 20% physical and 80% mental."
Najem and Hayden discovered quickly they were both tuned into the same focused ambitions and using their energy creatively. "I was walking home with him when I asked him if I could have an autographed picture and he said, 'Can you do the same for me?' "
He continues to train 6-8 hours a day and does private training with some of Ottawa's leading CEOs while studying at Learnet College.
Najem immigrated to Ottawa with his family from Chipten, Lebanon, in the early 1980s and studied Tae Kwon Do with Master Min in Edmonton. He competed in the 1988 Seoul Olympics for Canada, won the gold at the 1990 Pan-Am Games and won the silver at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.
