Renowned for portraying the role of Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars saga, Hayden Christensen has recently revealed a long-held desire for his character’s journey. The actor, who first embodied the role in the prequel trilogy and has revisited it multiple times since, has always been curious about Anakin’s narrative during the Clone Wars.
Fifteen years after fans witnessed Anakin Skywalker’s fateful transformation to Darth Vader in Revenge of the Sith, Christensen’s desire to explore his character’s evolution before his descent into the dark side of the Force was finally fulfilled in the animated series, The Clone Wars.
Hayden Christensen’s Long-Awaited Wish Fulfilled in The Clone Wars
In a recent appearance at the Ahsoka FYC Event, Hayden Christensen discussed his journey through Star Wars, as he expressed profound excitement about revisiting the intricate layers of his character’s past, especially during the Clone Wars era.
He shared that he was really excited about “getting to explore Clone Wars-era Anakin.” The actor shared that his eagerness emerged after filmmaker George Lucas painted Anakin Skywalker as a valiant warrior and esteemed general during the Clone Wars while filming Episode III.
He recalled, as per The Hollywood Reporter,
George [Lucas] telling me about the Clone Wars when we were getting ready to do Revenge of the Sith and just filling me in on all the backstory — how Anakin fought in the Clone Wars and he was this great warrior and a decorated general.
The actor shared that he was intrigued by the narrative surrounding the conflicted Jedi Knight. “I remember thinking, ‘Wow, that sounds really cool, would be nice to see some of that,'” he shared. During The Clone Wars, Anakin Skywalker grew as a hero and earned immense power, leading Master Yoda to allocate him a Padawan, Ahsoka Tano.
Sharing his admiration for the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which ran from 2008 to 2020, Christensen described the opportunity to bring that version of the character to life through his former apprentice Ahsoka in the Disney+ series as a privilege.
Hayden Christensen Was Skeptical About Landing Star Wars Role
After Jake Lloyd portrayed a young Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace, Hayden Christensen took over the role from Episode II – Attack of the Clones and his subsequent live-action appearances.
However, the actor was not truly sure if he would land the role after he learned that he was competing against actors like Leonardo DiCaprio. In a conversation with Empire, he shared that while auditioning for the role, he had heard that the makers met other actors, including the Titanic star.
“I had heard that they’d met with Leonardo and a bunch of other actors,” he said. Christensen recalled that he was sure that he would not get the role. “Through the entire auditioning process I had told myself, from day one, that I wasn’t going to get the part,” he said.
However, he shared that the prospect of failing the audition helped him ease and open up in a lot of ways, and he was surprised when he learned that he had actually got the role in the epic space opera.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars is available to stream on Disney+.
