Hayden Christensen faced the undue wrath of the Star Wars fandom for his portrayal of Anakin Skywalker in the prequels for nearly two decades. While some of the criticism may have been constructive, most of them were not.
The 43-year-old finally got his due with the new Disney+ productions - first for his appearance as Darth Vader in Obi-Wan Kenobi and then for reprising the role of Anakin in Ahsoka. According to many, the series peaked in the fifth episode, "Shadow Warrior," which saw Christensen's Anakin reunite with his once-padawan Ahsoka Tano, played by Rosario Dawson, and impart one last bit of knowledge.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly's Dagobah Dispatch podcast, Dawson reflected on working with Christensen and witnessing him get his due appreciation. She said:
"I was just so happy for [Hayden Christensen] that he got to express the fullness of his character; him being this teacher, see him be masterful in that way. I don’t know, I just loved it. I loved it for him. I texted him, ‘Congratulations.’ The reaction that people got is so deserving. I know he had a much more challenging time originally. So it feels really beautiful that we got to this place where the appreciation and clarity are there of what the whole scope of this universe is and what it has to offer."
Christensen's return to Ahsoka was truly a powerful and significant moment, both for the actor and the character, given how their arc of redemption poetically aligned. Filming the sequences where he was present turned out to be a sentimental affair for the cast and crew of the series, Dawson shared:
"It brought tears to all of our eyes... It was nice to see him in the Clone Wars clothing"
She also spoke on the prospects of Andor and The Acolyte, musing on how Star Wars can be relevant and impact across generations and how Christensen's character is "pivotal" to it. As for movement on a second season, Dawson confirmed that there was none yet before the holidays when the interview was recorded.