Anakin’s Return in Ahsoka Was a Bucket-List Goal for Hayden Christensen

Seeing Hayden Christensen get his due and recognition has been one the best things to come out of the Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau universe of shows. From donning the suit as Darth Vader on Obi-Wan Kenobi to playing a Force ghost as well as Clone Wars Anakin Skywalker in Ahsoka, it’s been amazing to see Christensen flex his chops as the Star Wars saga’s tragic figure.

All the sides of Anakin we wished to see Christensen play have started to be included in wonderful ways, particularly as Ahsoka’s former master in crucial moments of her show. And that’s something Christensen was excited to tackle when he was first approached by Filoni and Favreau. In an interview with Empire, celebrating the prequel series, the actor discussed the second chance he got to explore more of Anakin as he turned to the dark side.

“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.’” he told the magazine about his research; until being called back to play the role again, he’d only been privy to whatever George Lucas told him about Skywalker’s Clone War heroics. “That was described to me by George Lucas when we were doing Episode III, the things that were going on in-between Episode 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.”

He continued to describe his experience playing more of Anakin as he turned into Darth Vader. “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.”

Watch Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader on Ahsoka and Obi-Wan Kenobi now streaming on Disney+.

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