Hayden Christensen Discusses Anakin Skywalker's Return in Ahsoka and Dark 'Star Wars' Themes 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 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 aspects of Star Wars, and even his favorite Anakin meme.

We started 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, a period largely explored through animation where Anakin was voiced by Matt Lanter. "I would love to get to do some more of the Clone Wars-era," Christensen shared. He also mentioned that his friend Ewan McGregor, who played Obi-Wan Kenobi, would be interested in revisiting that time as well. "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 the idea of returning to the Clone Wars era would require some "aging" magic, Christensen remains enthusiastic about continuing to explore Anakin's journey, including more of the Darth Vader timeline. "I love this character," he 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 approaching its 20th anniversary on May 19, 2025. Known for being one of the darkest entries in the franchise, Christensen appreciates when Star Wars tackles challenging themes. "George Lucas made some very bold choices and I love that he did that," he explained. "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 noted the personal growth he experienced over that time. "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."

To wrap up our conversation, we touched on the ongoing debate about the best order to watch the Star Wars films. Christensen didn't take a firm stance but acknowledged the merits of both starting with Episode I for a linear experience, as George Lucas intended, and beginning with Episode IV. "I don't know that there is a right way or a wrong way, and I think there's merit to both," he said. He also mentioned his daughter, who will eventually see her father in some of the more intense scenes. "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 asked Christensen about the numerous Anakin memes and which one he enjoys the most. While he's familiar with the infamous "sand" meme and enjoys the one of him and Padmé in the field, his current favorite is a meme featuring Emperor Palpatine begging Anakin not to let Mace Windu kill him, to which Anakin replies, "He's just reflecting your lightning back you... just stop shooting lightning!"

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