Hayden Christensen and Rosario Dawson probably know each other even longer than their on-screen characters do.
The duo met in 1995, when they attended the same acting school in New York City, years before Hayden was cast as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars. At that point, the character of Ahsoka Tano didn't even exist. Years later, George Lucas and Dave Filoni introduced the young woman who was selected by Master Yoda as Anakin's Padawan. The rest, as they say, is history.
Rosario was cast as live-action Ahsoka and made her debut as the character in The Mandalorian Season 2, and everything since then has made the Force seem very real. Christensen returned to the franchise after nearly 20 years in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Many fans hoped his return would mean a live-action reunion between Anakin and his former Padawan, Ahsoka. Nevertheless, it must've seemed like a pipedream even to the actors.
In a new interview, Hayden Christensen and Rosario Dawson gave Entertainment Weekly a detailed look at their magical on and off-screen reunion. The experience is surreal for Rosario Dawson, who gets to see the emotional reactions to Hayden as Anakin from the people on set:
"I don't want to put anyone in the crew out there, but I will say there were some tears shed when we got to see that lightsaber in his hand again. It's pretty remarkable and very special."Rosario Dawson.
Christensen, who's getting into a habit of bringing people on set to tears, is glad that fans are now as supportive of Anakin as Darth Vader. Many fans have found it hard to picture Hayden's Anakin as General Skywalker. All that changed after Ahsoka, where Hayden played the most unique version of the character yet. In Ahsoka, Anakin and Ahsoka reunited in the World Between Worlds in something that was a cross between a dream and reality. The reunion gave Rosario a chance to face off against Hayden in a duel, a task she found exciting but intimidating.
When it came time to film the scene, Dawson revealed that everyone on set had their eyes on the two, and it felt "a little theatrical." She goes on to explain the two-day-long filming process in detail:
"I think we had two full days of filming on there, with the kind of flipping into Darth Vader and back and forth. We had this beautiful catwalk runway and people just watching us. It was quite a spectacle, I have to say. I kept getting really caught up in it."Rosario Dawson.
As for their reunion, Hayden says that working with Rosario, whom he's known for years, was "a lot of laughter, and a lot of hugs, and a lot of smiles." It wasn't easy for Rosario to match Hayden in lightsaber skills, and she jokes that Hayden had hoards of chocolates and candies around that he loaded up on before they shot their scenes:
" “Oh man, it's going to get even more heavy-handed. He's souped-up on sugar now!”"Rosario Dawson.
Hayden is loved as Anakin for various reasons, including his brilliance with a lightsaber. But he took time to praise Rosario's skills with two lightsabers, something he has a little experience with dating back to Attack of the Clones:
"It really felt like play. And you're awesome with the lightsaber too, I should say. Especially with two lightsabers, which is not easy. I remember there was a brief moment in 'Episode II' where Anakin has two lightsabers, and I was trying to figure out how to do all the twirls that you do and I couldn't get it. So hats off to you."Hayden Christensen.
Regarding questions on Anakin's future now that Ahsoka Season 2 is in the works, Christensen lets his co-star have her say. It seems like she loves the idea of Ahsoka and Anakin remaining in touch now that they've come to terms with their pasts and says:
"I love that that peace has continued and you get to see it reflected in him that he gets to enjoy seeing what his legacy has become in a different way. And if Dave Filoni is listening, I hope we get to explore that more, because the road ahead is not going to be easy."Rosario Dawson.
If Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon Jinn were able to stay connected on Tatooine, then there's no reason why Ahsoka and Anakin can't have a similar relationship. Much of the fandom wished to see this happen between Luke and Anakin, so the series has a chance to do something special for Skyguy and Snips fans in Season 2.
Ahsoka is streaming on Disney+.