Darth Vader Actor Hayden Christensen Says Star Wars Return Was “Definitely a Surprise”

Hayden Christensen’s return to Star Wars was a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one. Christensen played Anakin Skywalker, the Jedi apprentice of Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), in Star Wars prequel episodes Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith between 2002 and 2005. For the first time since filming Sith in 2003, Christensen reprised his role as the Sith Lord Darth Vader in the Disney+ series Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi. “Part II” of the six-part series ended with Vader appearing from inside his bacta tank after the Inquisitor Reva (Moses Ingram) revealed a terrible truth to hunted Jedi Obi-Wan: Anakin Skywalker lives.

“It was definitely a surprise. You know, for the longest time, no, I didn’t think I’d be stepping back into this role again,” the Darth Vader actor told HeyUGuys. “But certainly, in the back of my head for a little bit, I was maybe hopeful that one day such an opportunity might present itself.”

Revenge of the Sith saw Anakin Skywalker succumb to the dark side to learn the power to save a pregnant Padmé (Natalie Portman) from death, turning to secret Sith Lord Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid). After losing his lightsaber duel against Obi-Wan on Mustafar, the Emperor encased the badly burned body of Vader in a black suit of armor to end Episode III. 

Initial mixed reception to the Star Wars prequels aside, Christensen says his unexpected return to the galaxy far, far away after nearly two decades has been “incredibly special, and also very emotional for me.” 

“This whole project was a surprisingly emotional experience,” Christensen continued. “This is a character that means so much to me, and to other people as well. This is a character that has resonated in our popular culture in a very unique way, so getting to continue my journey with Darth Vader has been so cool.” 

In an interview with ET Canada, Christensen said he is “absolutely” open to reprising the role again in a potential Darth Vader spinoff after Obi-Wan Kenobi, saying there’s “certainly more there to explore” in the years between Revenge of the Sith and Return of the Jedi. 

Christensen reportedly next returns in Ahsoka, the upcoming Disney+ series starring Rosario Dawson as Anakin Skywalker’s former padawan. 

Starring Ewan McGregor, Moses Ingram, Rupert Friend, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Indira Varma, Sung Kang, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Kumail Nanjiani, Grant Feely as young Luke Skywalker, Vivien Lyra Blair as young Leia Organa, and Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader, new episodes of Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi are streaming Wednesdays on Disney+.