--- a/graal/com.oracle.graal.hotspot/src/com/oracle/graal/hotspot/meta/HotSpotObjectConstant.java	Thu Nov 06 13:55:47 2014 +0100
+++ b/graal/com.oracle.graal.hotspot/src/com/oracle/graal/hotspot/meta/HotSpotObjectConstant.java	Thu Nov 06 13:57:43 2014 +0100
@@ -96,4 +96,9 @@
      * @return {@code null} if this constant does not represent a {@link Class} object
      */
     JavaConstant getCompositeValueClass();
+
+    /**
+     * Determines if this constant represents an {@linkplain String#intern() interned} string.
+     */
+    boolean isInternedString();
 }

--- a/graal/com.oracle.graal.hotspot/src/com/oracle/graal/hotspot/meta/HotSpotObjectConstantImpl.java	Thu Nov 06 13:55:47 2014 +0100
+++ b/graal/com.oracle.graal.hotspot/src/com/oracle/graal/hotspot/meta/HotSpotObjectConstantImpl.java	Thu Nov 06 13:57:43 2014 +0100
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@
 import com.oracle.graal.graph.*;
 import com.oracle.graal.lir.*;
 
+import edu.umd.cs.findbugs.annotations.SuppressFBWarnings;
+
 /**
  * Represents a constant non-{@code null} object reference, within the compiler and across the
  * compiler/runtime interface.
@@ -160,6 +162,15 @@
         return null;
     }
 
+    @SuppressFBWarnings(value = "ES_COMPARING_STRINGS_WITH_EQ", justification = "reference equality is what we want")
+    public boolean isInternedString() {
+        if (object instanceof String) {
+            String s = (String) object;
+            return s.intern() == s;
+        }
+        return false;
+    }
+
     @Override
     public boolean isNull() {
         return false;

--- a/graal/com.oracle.graal.hotspot/src/com/oracle/graal/hotspot/phases/AheadOfTimeVerificationPhase.java	Thu Nov 06 13:55:47 2014 +0100
+++ b/graal/com.oracle.graal.hotspot/src/com/oracle/graal/hotspot/phases/AheadOfTimeVerificationPhase.java	Thu Nov 06 13:57:43 2014 +0100
@@ -31,8 +31,6 @@
 import com.oracle.graal.phases.*;
 import com.oracle.graal.phases.tiers.*;
 
-import edu.umd.cs.findbugs.annotations.*;
-
 /**
  * Checks for illegal object constants in a graph processed for AOT compilation. The only legal
  * object constants are {@linkplain String#intern() interned} strings as they will be installed in
@@ -74,18 +72,12 @@
         return StampTool.typeOrNull(node).getName().startsWith("Ljava/lang/invoke/BoundMethodHandle");
     }
 
-    @SuppressFBWarnings(value = "ES_COMPARING_STRINGS_WITH_EQ", justification = "reference equality is what we want")
     private static boolean isInternedString(ConstantNode node) {
         if (!isObject(node)) {
             return false;
         }
 
-        Object o = HotSpotObjectConstantImpl.asObject(node.asJavaConstant());
-        if (!(o instanceof String)) {
-            return false;
-        }
-
-        String s = (String) o;
-        return s == s.intern();
+        HotSpotObjectConstant c = (HotSpotObjectConstant) node.asConstant();
+        return c.isInternedString();
     }
 }