Anakin Skywalker’s Voice Actor in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Matt Lanter, has reacted to the news of his live-action counterpart, Hayden Christensen, watching the series ahead of starring in Obi-Wan Kenobi. In the next Disney+ Star Wars series, audiences are set to venture back to the time in between the Original Trilogy and the Prequels, focusing on Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor). The series will follow Kenobi during his exile to Tatooine, where he watches over a young Luke Skywalker until he finds himself embarking on another galaxy-spanning adventure.

The series will cover important events during the period that leads audiences to where it all began in A New Hope, including a rematch between Kenobi and Darth Vader, played once again by Hayden Christensen. Christensen is returning to duties portraying Vader inside the iconic black armor, though fans are optimistic to see him in flashbacks to the Clone Wars, fighting alongside McGregor’s Kenobi in their prime. Indeed, Christensen recently confirmed that he watched both the Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels animated series in preparation for his return to research what the expanded media had added to the characters.

Related: Obi-Wan Vs Darth Vader: Everything We Know About Kenobi Show's Rematch

Now, in an interview with Sci-Fi & Fantasy Gazette, Lanter weighed in on his live-action counterpart doing his research. Lanter reacted positively to the news and commended Christensen for undertaking research to inform his return to the character. Lanter then reflected on the challenges Christensen had in selling his character arc in a short space of screen time and how Clone Wars was able to help develop that further in the Star Wars canon:

"We had seven seasons to develop this character. Hayden didn’t have that opportunity in the films. He had a very tough job to take Anakin from a bratty teenager to the most iconic villain of all time in a very short amount of screen time. There’s a wealth of knowledge to learn from Anakin in The Clone Wars about his relationships, how he treats people, and the adventures he’s been on. I think that’s wonderful, just as a fan of Star Wars, to know a role you were invested in and care about [has made such an impact]. That’s so cool and I’m glad he was able to revisit it."

Lanter then followed up by saying, while he hasn’t had a full conversation with Christensen, the two had briefly met at a prior Star Wars celebration. According to Lanter, Christensen had already seen some of what Clone Wars had to offer and was full of praise for the work that the series had done for the Star Wars universe.

Lanter’s comments reflect just what Clone Wars has added to the Star Wars series and how other pieces of media have retroactively benefitted from the work put into the characters during its seven-season run. One of the major criticisms of the Prequel Trilogy was in regard to its writing and characterization, particularly with the supposed friendship between Anakin and Obi-Wan that had been referred to in the Original Trilogy. Attack of the Clones showed the two butting heads and being resentful of each other, for the most part, while Revenge of the Sith did deliver a hint of their brotherly bond in its first act before Anakin’s fall to the dark side put them at odds. In contrast, Clone Wars was massively praised for fleshing out their relationship, showing how they trusted and depended on each other in spite of their differing personalities.

It's unclear just how much of an impact the animated series, such as Clone Wars, will have on Obi-Wan Kenobi when it debuts on Disney+ on May 27th. As previously mentioned, fans are eager to see flashbacks to the two Jedi Knights fighting side-by-side on the battlefield and it does seem unlikely that Lucasfilm would’ve brought back Christensen to be hidden behind prosthetics and a helmet. The Grand Inquisitor, a character introduced in Rebels, will make his live-action debut in the series but it’ll be interesting to see if the creatives have any further surprises in store. Regardless, Lanter’s comments are a sweet endorsement of Christensen’s appreciation for the series and are indicative of how symbiotic the live action and animated media has become.

Next: Hayden Christensen’s Clone Wars Deep Dive Is Great For His Vader Return

Source: Sci-Fi & Fantasy Gazette