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 major reveal, we had the opportunity to sit down with Christensen to discuss his return to the iconic role after nearly two decades, his appreciation for the darker aspects of Star Wars, and even his favorite Anakin meme.

Our conversation kicked off with Christensen expressing his interest in exploring more stories from the Clone Wars era. He mentioned, "I would love to get to do some more of the Clone Wars-era." This sentiment aligns well with fans' desires, as the majority of Clone Wars-era Anakin has been portrayed in animated form by Matt Lanter, with limited live-action appearances.

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

Christensen also hinted at the possibility of working with Ewan McGregor again, stating, "I know my friend Ewan would be game for that 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 acknowledged that revisiting this era would require some "aging magic," but he remains enthusiastic about continuing to explore Anakin's journey, including further delving into the Darth Vader timeline.

As we approached the 20th anniversary of "Revenge of the Sith" on May 19, 2025, our discussion shifted to this landmark film, which is known for its dark tone. Christensen praised George Lucas's bold storytelling, saying, "George Lucas made some very bold choices and I love that he did that. 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 nearly 20 years, Christensen shared, "Of course it feels different. I'm different. 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."

We also touched on the ongoing debate about the best order to watch the Star Wars films. Christensen offered a balanced perspective, stating, "Not really. 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 plethora of Anakin memes and which one he enjoys the most. While he's familiar with the infamous "sand" meme and appreciates the one with him and Padmé in the field, his current favorite is a humorous exchange between Emperor Palpatine and Anakin, where Palpatine pleads not to be killed by Mace Windu, and Anakin responds, "He's just reflecting your lightning back you... just stop shooting lightning!"