Hayden Christensen Returns as Anakin Skywalker in 'Ahsoka,' Embraces Dark 'Star Wars' Theme

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 iconic role after nearly two decades, his appreciation for the darker themes in 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 that has mostly been explored in animation, where Matt Lanter voiced Anakin. "I would love to get to do some more of the Clone Wars-era," Christensen shared. This aligns well with his brief but impactful appearances in the films and the Ahsoka series.

Christensen also mentioned that his friend Ewan McGregor, who plays Obi-Wan Kenobi, would be enthusiastic about revisiting this era. "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 bringing this vision to life would require some "aging" magic, Christensen remains hopeful and committed to further exploring Anakin's journey, including the Darth Vader timeline.

"I love this character," Christensen affirmed. "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 the upcoming 20th anniversary of "Revenge of the Sith" on May 19, 2025. Christensen praised George Lucas for the bold choices made in the film, which remains one of the darkest entries in the franchise. "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 his return to the role after nearly 20 years, Christensen shared how his perspective has evolved. "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."

He described the experience of returning to the character as a unique exercise in acting, one that involves accounting for the passage of time. "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 conversation drew to a close, we touched on the ongoing debate about the best order to watch the Star Wars films. Christensen offered a balanced view, suggesting that both starting with Episode I for a linear experience and beginning with Episode IV have their merits. "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 infamous "sand" meme countless times and appreciates the one with him and Padmé in the field, his current favorite is a humorous take on Emperor Palpatine's plea to Anakin not to let Mace Windu kill him. In the meme, Anakin responds, "He's just reflecting your lightning back you... just stop shooting lightning!"