One of the most exciting announcements from Star Wars Celebration is the return of Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker in Season 2 of Ahsoka. In an exclusive interview following this big reveal, Christensen shared his thoughts on reprising the iconic role after nearly two decades, his appreciation for the darker aspects of the Star Wars universe, and even his favorite Anakin meme.
We kicked off our discussion 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 mostly seen in animated form with Matt Lanter voicing Anakin. "I would love to get to do some more of the Clone Wars-era," Christensen said, adding that his friend Ewan McGregor would also be on board. "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 acknowledged that revisiting this era would require some "aging" magic but remains enthusiastic about continuing to explore Anakin's journey, including more of the Darth Vader timeline. "I love this character," he 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."
As we approach the 20th anniversary of Revenge of the Sith on May 19, 2025, we discussed the film's darker themes. Christensen appreciates George Lucas's bold choices in tackling challenging subjects. "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 returning to the role after nearly 20 years, Christensen noted the personal growth he's experienced. "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."
Christensen views returning to the role as a unique and enriching experience in acting. "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 optimal viewing order for the Star Wars films. Christensen remains open-minded. "Not really," he said when asked if he had a preferred order. "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 about the many Anakin memes that have circulated online. While Christensen has seen the infamous "sand" meme countless times and enjoys the one with him and Padmé in the field, his current favorite is a humorous twist on a scene from Revenge of the Sith. It features Emperor Palpatine begging Anakin to stop Mace Windu from killing him, to which Anakin quips, "He's just reflecting your lightning back you... just stop shooting lightning!"
