Hayden Christensen Says Robert De Niro Made a Surprise Visit to “Revenge of the Sith” Set for Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi's Battle
- - Hayden Christensen Says Robert De Niro Made a Surprise Visit to “Revenge of the Sith” Set for Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi's Battle
Angela AndaloroJanuary 19, 2026 at 11:06 PM
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Lucasfilm/Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock; SGranitz/WireImage
Hayden Christensen (left), Robert De Niro -
Hayden Christensen starred as Anakin Skywalker in three Star Wars films
Christensen recalls the feeling of being starstruck alongside costar Ewan McGregor when Robert De Niro visited the set to see George Lucas
The actor, 44, says that Lucas' friends were always visiting the set and phoning it, making the experience that much more special
Hayden Christensen had a blast filming one of Star Wars' most unforgettable battles.
Appearing at Fan Expo New Orleans on Jan. 9, the Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith actor, 44, recalls the battle between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. While the intense moment was one for the books on its own, it was made even more memorable by a special guest on set.
"I remember during one of the days that we were filming that fight, Robert De Niro showed up to set, just because he wanted to come see what we were doing – not us, but George, [he] wanted to see what George was doing," he began.
"And obviously, I am a huge fan of his. I remember just standing with Ewan [McGregor], and Ewan says to me, 'Is that Robert De Niro standing over there?' And I'm looking over like, 'Yeah, I think that is him.' "
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Lucasfilm
Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker and Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in "Revenge of the Sith"
Christensen admitted that the two actors were "excited" to see the actor and director, and meeting him only amplified that experience.
"He walked over, and he was very friendly. And I remember, because I would do a lot of push-ups before each take to try to get my heart rate up and a little exhaustion going, and he came over to me and he said, 'You know, I see you doing push-ups before the takes.' He was like, 'I do that, too,' " he recalled.
The moment of shared professionalism "felt good" for the young actor, who says the "really fun set" gave him an opportunity to meet a lot of talented people.
Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu via Getty
George Lucas at Cannes in 2024
"There were some very interesting people who would come by set. Sometimes, Lucas would have a friend on the phone yell 'action' as they began to film a scene."
"I remember George used to like to call up Francis Ford Coppola or Steven Spielberg and then he put them on the phone and then he put the phone to a megaphone. Then he would be like, 'All right, Steven Spielberg's calling action on this one.' He would start the shot for us, and that happened a few times. There's just some fun stuff like that."
on People
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