Hayden Christensen Discusses Reprising Anakin Skywalker in Ahsoka, Embracing Darker 'Star Wars' Themes at Celebration

One of the most exciting announcements from Star Wars Celebration is the return of Hayden Christensen 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 role after nearly two decades, his appreciation for the darker elements of Star Wars, and even his favorite Anakin meme.

We started our conversation by asking Christensen about the other Anakin stories he'd like to explore on screen. He expressed a keen interest in delving deeper into the Clone Wars era, saying, "I would love to get to do some more of the Clone Wars-era." This makes sense, as aside from a standout scene in Ahsoka and brief appearances in the films, most of Anakin's Clone Wars story has been told through animation, voiced by Matt Lanter.

Christensen also mentioned that his friend Ewan McGregor, who plays Obi-Wan Kenobi, would be interested in exploring this period further. "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 such a project would require some "aging" magic, Christensen remains enthusiastic about the possibility and is eager to continue exploring Anakin's journey, including more of the Darth Vader timeline.

"I love this character," Christensen shared. "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 will celebrate its 20th anniversary on May 19, 2025. This film is known for its darker tone within the franchise, and Christensen appreciates when Star Wars tackles challenging themes. "George Lucas made some very bold choices and I love that he did that," he remarked. "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 returning to the role after nearly 20 years, Christensen noted the personal growth he's experienced. "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."

He also found the process of revisiting the character after such a long time to be a unique acting challenge. "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."

As we wrapped up our conversation, we asked Christensen about the ongoing debate over the best order to watch the Star Wars 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."

Lastly, we couldn't resist asking about the numerous Anakin memes and which one he enjoys the most. While he's seen the "sand" meme countless times and appreciates the one with him and Padmé in the field, his current favorite is one featuring Emperor Palpatine pleading with Anakin not to let Mace Windu kill him, to which Anakin replies, "He's just reflecting your lightning back at you... just stop shooting lightning!"