Hayden Christensen Discusses Anakin's Return in 'Ahsoka' and Dark 'Star Wars' at Celebration

One of the most exciting announcements from Star Wars Celebration is that Hayden Christensen will reprise his role as Anakin Skywalker in Season 2 of Ahsoka. Following this big reveal, we had the opportunity to sit down with Christensen to discuss his return to the character after nearly two decades, his appreciation for the darker elements of Star Wars, and even his favorite Anakin meme.

We kicked off our conversation by asking Christensen about other Anakin stories he'd like to explore on screen. He expressed a keen interest in delving deeper into the Clone Wars era, saying he would "love to get to do some more of the Clone Wars-era." This makes sense, as aside from a notable scene in Ahsoka and minor roles in the films, most of Anakin's Clone Wars-era appearances have been in animated form, voiced by Matt Lanter.

Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker in Ahsoka. Image Credit: Lucasfilm

Christensen also mentioned that his friend Ewan McGregor, who played Obi-Wan Kenobi, would be interested in revisiting this period. "It's a cool look. It's a cool sort of period in Star Wars and I think there are great stories that we could tell there. So who knows, maybe one day," he added. While he acknowledges that it would "require a little bit of aging" magic to pull off, Christensen remains enthusiastic about further exploring Anakin's journey, including more of the Darth Vader timeline.

"I love this character," Christensen said. "I would love the chance to continue to explore Anakin's story some more and hopefully do the Darth Vader timeline a little bit more too. I think there are more stories there to be told."

Our discussion then turned to Revenge of the Sith, which is set to celebrate its 20th anniversary on May 19, 2025. This film is known for its dark themes, and Christensen appreciates when Star Wars isn't afraid to delve into challenging subjects.

"George Lucas made some very bold choices and I love that he did that," Christensen said. "However, he did it in a way that we could still digest everything. For example, Anakin is killing younglings, but we don't actually see it. But yeah, I like it when Star Wars goes dark. That works for me."

Reflecting on his return to the role after almost 20 years, Christensen shared how his perspective has evolved. "Of course it feels different. I'm different," he said. "I've had 20 years of life that I didn't have before, and that just sort of changes your perspective on things. But in a lot of ways, I feel even more connected to Anakin now than I ever have because I've had more time to think about him and sort of try to understand him."

"It's a very unique thing coming back to a role after all of these years and an interesting sort of exercise in the craft of acting, having to sort of account for that passage of time. But I feel very fortunate that I have the opportunity to do it."

Finally, we shifted our focus to the broader Star Wars franchise and asked Christensen about the ongoing debate over the best viewing order for the films. "Not really," he responded. "I don't know that there is a right way or a wrong way, and I think there's merit to both. I think George Lucas would like you to start with episode one and experience the story in a linear fashion, but there's definitely something to be said for starting with episode four. I've thought about it myself as I have yet to show my daughter the films... I mean she is going to see her dad do some sort of gnarly stuff."

We couldn't end without asking Christensen about the many Anakin memes that have circulated online. While he's seen the infamous "sand" meme countless times and enjoys the one of him and Padmé in the field, his current favorite is a meme featuring Emperor Palpatine pleading with Anakin to not let Mace Windu kill him, with Anakin responding, "He's just reflecting your lightning back you... just stop shooting lightning!"