Matt Lanter On What It Was Like To Say Goodbye To Anakin On The Clone Wars - Exclusive

They say parting is such sweet sorrow, but for Matt Lanter and his role as Anakin Skywalker on "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," goodbye never seems to last forever. Between cameos in other animated "Star Wars" projects, video games, and more in-franchise media, Lanter is always reprising his iconic animated role. 

But despite Lanter never really leaving Anakin behind, closing up the seven-season series was still emotional for the actor — especially after he and fans waited so long to get that final season. Though six years passed between the end of season 6 back in 2014 and the series' last season in 2020, the turbulent conclusion was worth the wait.

Looper recently sat down with Matt Lanter for an exclusive interview to talk about his character George Hutchence (aka Skyfox) in the new Netflix series "Jupiter's Legacy." After noting the correlation between the Jedi Council and the "Jupiter's Legacy" Union, Lanter revealed what was going through his mind as he said goodbye to "The Clone Wars." He also dished on what exactly was involved in those final moments of embracing Darth Vader. 

On saying goodbye to Anakin and "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," Matt Lanter said, "It is sad, but I will say that we're always doing 'Star Wars' projects. We're always doing games and shows and movies or whatever it is." He elaborated, "I'd never really put Anakin down. I mean, we're constantly doing things, right? So it's not like I'm never voicing Anakin again." Lanter also teased during our interview a secret Anakin Skywalker project that he can't reveal details on, so we certainly haven't heard the last of his Anakin yet.

"That character is living with me all the time now — and in the fandom, too. People want to talk about 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars.' For example, right now, the show ended, but we're talking about it," Lanter added. "I never quite put him down, and I actually love that. So though we might not be creating new episodes currently, I still feel a part of him. There's sadness in a way that I'm not there with my other co-stars, and we're not creating new 'Star Wars' episodes of 'The Clone Wars' for everybody, but he's still there."

Lanter offered a heartwarming take on the matter, telling Looper, "It's not like I've said goodbye forever. It's kind of like going to college. You're still the same person. You're just graduating and you're moving on to a new phase in your life, you know?"

When Looper asked Matt Lanter what was required of him for his final scenes as Anakin Skywalker, he joked with a laugh, "I mean, what was required from me? Obviously, the technicality was not much." Given that his final scene was mostly Darth Vader's dramatic breathing, that's not surprising.

"But [I needed to have] emotional presence in what was going on with the character at the time. People ask me all the time, 'What do you like better? Do you like acting, or do you like voice acting?' And I [say], 'Voice acting is acting. At its core, it's acting,'" Lanter explained. "You have to bring an emotional presence to these characters — and sometimes even more, even stronger — to be able to emote that with just your voice and not have your facial expression." Given Anakin's high range of dramatic emotions, that's not exactly an easy task.

"I obviously understood the significance at that moment – what that meant to Ahsoka, what it means to everybody, all those characters, what it means to Anakin, what it means to Obi-Wan," he reminisced. "So it was a really special moment and pretty cool that I was able to be a part of that as well, and kind of shepherd that Anakin into Vader."

The "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" TV series and movie are streaming now on Disney+. Additionally, season 1 of "Jupiter's Legacy" is available on Netflix.