Returning as Anakin Skywalker For ‘Ahsoka’ Was a “Bucket List Moment” For Hayden Christensen
As someone who grew up watching the Star Wars prequel trilogy, seeing Hayden Christensen return to the franchise as Anakin Skywalker for Ahsoka was a dream come true.
For a generation of fans, Anakin Skywalker was Star Wars. The Chosen One was our ideal hero, even if we knew that his story would not necessarily end how we wanted.
Anakin and Obi-Wan. Photo: StarWars.com
Christensen’s return as Darth Vader for Obi-Wan Kenobi then helped bridge the gap between the fallen Jedi in the prequel trilogy and the full-blown Sith Lord of the original films.
“When we finished doing the prequels, it felt like that was it, and my journey with the character was over. So to get to come back now and do more with Anakin and Darth Vader was an amazing opportunity,” he said. “The scenes that I got to do as Darth Vader on Obi-Wan, that was huge for me. Being able to add a little bit more connective tissue to the character and to bridge the gap into Vader a little bit more is a very worthwhile thing.”
Portraying A Different Side of Anakin
In Ahsoka, we got to see the Anakin Skywalker that audiences fell in love with in the prequels, a confident, heroic, and powerful Jedi at the top of his game. In many ways, it gave fans a glimpse of what could have been had Anakin not fallen to the Dark Side.
Anakin in his Clone Wars garb. Photo: Star Wars
As it turns out, seeing a redeemed Anakin Skywalker return to the screen was not just a monumental moment for fans, but for Hayden Christenson as well. As an actor, Christensen got to explore sides of Anakin he never got to in the live-action films.
Hayden Christensen in Ashoska. Photo: Also Lucasfilm
“The scenes that I got to do as Anakin on Ahsoka was a bucket-list item I didn’t even know I had,” he says. “When I was getting ready to do Obi-Wan Kenobi, I started my Clone Wars deep-dive, and I loved it. I remember thinking, ‘Man, it would be so cool to see some of that in live action.”
Anakin The War Hero
While fans got a glimpse of Anakin’s heroics as a Jedi general during Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, it was really in animation that the character was fleshed out. While Lucas filled in Christensen the best he could, it wasn’t until he watched the Clone Wars series that the actor got the full picture. Still, it was exciting for Christensen to get to bring Anakin Skywalker to live-action.
Anakin and Ahsoka. Photo: Lucasfilm
“That was described to me by George Lucas when we were doing Episode III. The things that were going on in between Episodes II and III. So when Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau told me they wanted to explore some of that, I was so game. And I loved how it came out.”
As a Star Wars fan, I have to agree.
Ahsoka is streaming on Disney+.
