Hayden Christensen Discusses Anakin'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 thrilling news, 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 elements of Star Wars, and his thoughts on the iconic Anakin memes.

Our conversation began with Christensen expressing 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 told us. This makes sense, as apart from a standout scene in Ahsoka and minor appearances in the films, much of the Clone Wars-era Anakin we've seen has been through animation, voiced by Matt Lanter.

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

Christensen also mentioned that his friend Ewan McGregor would be enthusiastic about 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" effects, Christensen remains enthusiastic about continuing to explore Anakin's journey, including delving deeper into the Darth Vader timeline.

"I love this character," Christensen emphasized. "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. Widely regarded as one of the darker entries in the franchise, Christensen praised the bold storytelling 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 his return to the role after nearly two decades, Christensen shared how his personal growth has influenced his connection to Anakin. "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," he added.

As our conversation wound down, we touched on the ongoing debate about the best viewing order for the Star Wars films. Christensen offered a relaxed perspective: "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 couldn't resist asking Christensen about the numerous Anakin memes that have circulated 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'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!"