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 reveal, we had the opportunity to sit down with Christensen to discuss his return to the iconic character after nearly two decades, 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 animation with Matt Lanter voicing Anakin. "I would love to get to do some more of the Clone Wars-era," Christensen shared.
Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker in Ahsoka. Image Credit: Lucasfilm
He also mentioned that his friend Ewan McGregor, who played Obi-Wan Kenobi, would be on board for such a project. "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," Christensen added. He acknowledged that revisiting this era would require some "aging" magic but remains enthusiastic about the possibility of continuing Anakin's journey, including exploring more of the Darth Vader timeline.
As we approach the 20th anniversary of "Revenge of the Sith" on May 19, 2025, we discussed the film's darker themes. Christensen praised George Lucas's bold choices, noting, "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 almost 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."
"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," Christensen added.
Our conversation then shifted to the ongoing debate about the best order to watch the Star Wars films. Christensen doesn't have a strong opinion on the matter, suggesting that both starting with Episode I or 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," he said. He also mentioned his daughter, who will eventually see him in the films, doing "some sort of gnarly stuff."
Finally, we touched on the numerous Anakin memes, and Christensen revealed his current favorite. While he's seen the sand meme countless times and enjoys the one of him and Padmé in the field, his recent favorite is a meme featuring Emperor Palpatine begging Anakin to not let Mace Windu kill him, with Anakin responding, "He's just reflecting your lightning back at you... just stop shooting lightning!"
