Hayden Christensen on Returning to Anakin Skywalker in Ahsoka and Liking When 'Star Wars Goes Dark' - Star Wars 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 reveal, we had the opportunity to delve into a conversation with Christensen about reprising his role after nearly two decades, his appreciation for the darker aspects of Star Wars, and even his favorite Anakin meme.

We started by discussing which Anakin stories Christensen would like to explore further. He expressed a keen interest in "doing more of the Clone Wars-era," a period mostly covered in animation, voiced by Matt Lanter, except for a notable scene in Ahsoka and brief moments in the films.

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

"I know my friend Ewan would be game for that as well," Christensen added. "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."

While fans would love to see more of this era, Christensen acknowledged it would require some "aging magic." However, this doesn't deter him from wanting to continue exploring Anakin's journey, including delving deeper into 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 shifted to "Revenge of the Sith," which is approaching its 20th anniversary on May 19, 2025. Known for its darker tone, Christensen appreciates when Star Wars tackles 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 returning to the role after nearly 20 years, Christensen noted the difference in his perspective.

"Of course it feels different. I'm different," Christensen 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."

To wrap up our conversation, we touched on the ongoing debate about the best order to watch the Star Wars films. Christensen offered his perspective:

"Not really," Christensen said. "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."

Finally, we couldn't resist asking Christensen 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 a meme featuring Emperor Palpatine pleading with Anakin not to let Mace Windu kill him, to which Anakin responds, "He's just reflecting your lightning back at you... just stop shooting lightning!"