Hayden Christensen Recalls When Robert De Niro Dropped by the Set of ‘Star Wars’

It seems like an unlikely pairing, but Hayden Christensen—best known for playing Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequels—recently shared a surprising story about Robert De Niro and the iconic film series. Christensen was preparing for his final lightsaber fight in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith when he spotted De Niro visiting the set to see what director George Lucas was up to.

According to GamesRadar+, Hayden Christensen recently attended FanExpo New Orleans and discussed his experiences with Star Wars. He shared a story about filming Revenge of the Sith, recalling a visit from a famous Oscar-winning actor. This encounter made Christensen realize he shared a surprising connection with the iconic Goodfellas star.

I’ll never forget being on set during that big fight scene. Robert De Niro just showed up, completely unannounced! He wasn’t there for me, honestly, he was specifically interested in watching George work. As a massive fan, I was completely starstruck. I remember Ewan McGregor nudged me and asked, ‘Is that the Robert De Niro over there?’ And sure enough, it was him!

We were really happy to have him on set. I remember he noticed I was doing push-ups between takes to get energized and a little tired, and he came over and told me he did the same thing. It was great to connect with him over that.

What’s Next for Christensen in the ‘Star Wars’ Universe?


Disney+

Hayden Christensen recently returned to the Star Wars universe in the Disney+ series Ahsoka, which follows the adventures of Ahsoka Tano as she continues her fight against the Galactic Empire. He played Anakin Skywalker again, appearing as a Force ghost to guide Ahsoka in completing her Jedi training. Christensen is also set to reprise his role as the powerful Jedi Master in the show’s second season, which is currently being developed.

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Hayden Christensen said he was amazed when he first read the scripts for the new Star Wars project. He was incredibly excited when Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau called him about returning to the role of Anakin Skywalker in Ahsoka, and thrilled to work with people he’d long admired. He added:

The fans’ support has been incredible. It’s hard to put into words just how much it means to me.

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2026-01-14 02:47