TBT: Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen Named Their Daughter After a Disney Princess

Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for 20th Century Fox Hayden Christensen, Rachel Bilson

Who: Actress Rachel Bilson, 40, and actor and producer, Hayden Christensen, 41.

How They Met: Bilson and Christensen met in 2007 on the set of Jumper, a sci-fi movie where they played love interests. Sparks flew, they became a couple, and not long after, they got engaged. Though, that isn't to say it was completely smooth sailing. The two called off their engagement in 2010 due to distance (Bilson was based in Los Angeles, while Christensen spent most of his time in Canada) before reconciling three months later.

They never married, but welcomed a daughter together, 7-year-old Briar Rose, in 2014. The couple named Briar after the Disney Princess in the 1959 version of Sleeping Beauty. "There's a Disney reference there, I suppose," Christensen explained how they came up with the unique name. "The original Sleeping Beauty is called Briar Rose. Rachel — we both love Disney — but Rachel especially was very keen on the name."

Dominique Charriau/WireImage Hayden Christensen, Rachel Bilson

Why We Loved Them: Despite their combined fame, Rachel and Hayden were a super low-key couple. They rarely spoke about each other in the press, and their idea of a date night involved dinner and a movie at home. When they did go out, Bilson and Christensen did normal activities — grabbed coffee, ran errands, went to the occasional hockey game — in coordinating laid-back outfits.

When They Peaked: However, they would occasionally dress up and do the whole celebrity thing. Case in point? At the 2010 Met Gala, Rachel wore a belted fit and flare Louis Vuitton dress teamed with strappy Jimmy Choo sandals and matching black accessories that added a bit of edge. Hayden, for his part, opted for a classic black tux. 

Larry Busacca/Getty Images Hayden Christensen, Rachel Bilson

And while Rachel's dress wasn't as over-the-top as the other red carpet looks that night, Hayden always co-signed his fiancée's unconventional style choices. "I'm lucky that my boyfriend is open-minded when it comes to fashion," Rachel told Cosmopolitan in 2013. "There will be an outfit I'm convinced will be too crazy for him, and he's like, 'That's awesome!' I hate being too pretty. I always add something that gives it a little funk. A leather jacket over a wedding dress — I would totally do that." 

The Breakup: In 2017, after nearly ten years together, Rachel and Hayden called off their engagement — again, but this time it was officially over. Neither party ever commented on the breakup, but sources close to the couple offered some insight on why it didn't work out between them.

According to one insider, personality differences played a major role. "Rachel is very outgoing, and her friends are very important to her," the source told People. "Hayden is the opposite. He can be very antisocial." They added, "Hayden never wanted to join her for special occasions, like weddings. Rachel had to attend by herself."

But their "constant conflicts about everyday stuff" is what really "became exhausting and almost depressing for Rachel," another source explained, adding: "It got really bad over the summer, and they decided to separate."

Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for GQ Magazine Hayden Christensen, Rachel Bilson

Where They Are Now: Bilson is currently single. However, her last relationship was with comedian Bill Hader in 2019. They confirmed their coupledom on the red carpet at the 2020 Golden Globes, but after six months together, they called it quits.

The O.C. alum seemingly took a break from acting (her last role was in 2019) and instead turned her focus to podcasting. Bilson and her former co-star from the teen drama series Melinda Clarke launched a rewatch podcast titled Welcome To The OC, Bitches! last year.

Christensen's dating life has remained a mystery since splitting from Bilson in 2017. He hasn't been linked to anyone special in the years following their breakup — at least, not publicly.

The actor has appeared in a few films (The Last Man, Little Italy) over the past few years, and recently it's been announced that he will be returning to the Star Wars saga as Darth Vader in the new Disney+ mini-series Obi-Wan Kenobi.

#TBT: Check in every Thursday as we throw it back to some of our favorite celebrity couples of all time.