Hayden Christensen Discusses Anakin Skywalker's Return in Ahsoka and Dark 'Star Wars' - 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 thrilling revelation, 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 themes in Star Wars, and even his favorite Anakin meme.

Our conversation kicked off with Christensen sharing his interest in exploring more stories from the Clone Wars era. "I would love to get to do some more of the Clone Wars-era," he said. This aligns well with fans' desires, as much of Anakin's portrayal during this period has been through animated series, voiced by Matt Lanter, with only brief live-action appearances in the films and Ahsoka.

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

Christensen also mentioned that his friend Ewan McGregor, who played Obi-Wan Kenobi, would be interested in revisiting this period. "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 acknowledging that such a project would require some "aging" magic, Christensen remains enthusiastic about continuing his journey with the character.

"I love this character," Christensen expressed. "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."

As we approach the 20th anniversary of "Revenge of the Sith" on May 19, 2025, Christensen reflected on the film's darker tone, which he appreciates. "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."

Returning to the role after nearly 20 years felt different for Christensen, who has grown and gained new perspectives over time. "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."

Christensen found the experience of returning to the role after such a long hiatus to be a unique and interesting 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 our discussion wrapped up, we touched on the ongoing debate about the optimal viewing order for the Star Wars films. Christensen remained open-minded about it. "Not really," he 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 asked Christensen about the numerous Anakin memes that have proliferated online. He's seen many, including the famous "sand" meme and the one with him and Padmé in the field. However, his current favorite is a meme featuring Emperor Palpatine pleading with Anakin not to let Mace Windu kill him, to which Anakin replies, "He's just reflecting your lightning back you... just stop shooting lightning!"