Hayden Christensen Discusses Anakin Skywalker's Return in Ahsoka and Dark 'Star Wars' 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 reveal, we had the opportunity to sit down with Christensen to discuss reprising his role after nearly 20 years, 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, a period largely covered in animated form where Matt Lanter voiced the character. "I know my friend Ewan would be game for that as well," Christensen mentioned, hinting at potential collaborations. "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 Christensen acknowledges that revisiting the Clone Wars era would "require a little bit of aging" magic, his enthusiasm for the character remains undimmed. "I love this character," he stated. "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. Known for its darker tone within the Star Wars saga, Christensen appreciates the bold choices made by George Lucas. "George Lucas made some very bold choices and I love that he did that," he 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 two decades, Christensen noted the personal growth he experienced during that time. "Of course it feels different. I'm different," he explained. "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."

As our interview drew to a close, we discussed the ongoing debate about the best order to watch the Star Wars films. Christensen remained open-minded on the topic. "Not really," he said when asked if he had a preferred viewing order. "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 that have proliferated 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 humorous take on Emperor Palpatine begging Anakin to not let Mace Windu kill him, with Anakin replying, "He's just reflecting your lightning back you... just stop shooting lightning!"