Following the release of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith in 2005, Hayden Christensen only appeared in a handful of movies and struggled to shake off the huge shadow cast over his career by Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader.
As the years went by, he started taking on fewer roles, making his "comeback" in 2022's Obi-Wan Kenobi. Earlier this year, Christensen took centre stage as Anakin in Ahsoka, receiving widespread critical acclaim for his supporting role and some long-overdue love from fans.
The actor is thought to be gearing up for a return to acting and recently caught up with the Dagobah Dispatch to reflect on his latest stint as the iconic Star Wars character.
"I really wanted to bring to life what was on the page, what Dave wrote was just so exciting. I was getting to play versions of this character that I hadn't done before. When we meet Anakin in the World Between Worlds, it's me getting to play - I guess - the totality of Anakin and Darth Vader. There's just an understanding of everything that he's been through, and getting to do that, and when we go back to the Clone Wars flashback, that was just awesome."
Christensen went on to reveal what it's been like working on Star Wars without George Lucas calling the shots. The legendary filmmaker cast him as Anakin in the early 2000s and helmed both movies he appeared in, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.
"At first I felt like I was cheating on him a little bit. But no, it's a different time for Star Wars now, and I think it's really exciting that we now have this period where there are other storytellers coming in and giving their take on the universe. But of course, it all goes back to the Maker, and George Lucas is very much at the front of everyone's mind when we're making a decision, we want to make stuff that he would be happy with for sure."
It would have been easy - and understandable - for the actor to turn his back on this Galaxy Far, Far Away. Instead, he's embraced the role again decades after first playing Anakin, reminding everyone just how underrated his work in the prequels was (arguably no actor benefited from Lucas' dialogue at times).
Looking to the future, Christensen sounds ready and willing to play Anakin and Darth Vader again if Lucasfilm comes calling.
"I would love to get to do more, I would love to get to continue with Star Wars. We'll see. I don't know what the future holds, if such an opportunity presents itself, I'll be there with a big smile on my face. If it doesn't, I feel really grateful for getting to come back and do the work that I did, both in Obi-Wan and Ahsoka."
We're sure Anakin will continue to appear as a Force Ghost in Ahsoka moving forward and, beyond that, Lucasfilm would be nuts not to release a Darth Vader movie or limited series. Like Christensen, though, we'll have to wait and see what happens!