diff --git a/pkg/controller/controllerutil/controllerutil.go b/pkg/controller/controllerutil/controllerutil.go
index b62fe22a92..90d4bf5041 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/controllerutil/controllerutil.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/controllerutil/controllerutil.go
@@ -55,18 +55,14 @@ func newAlreadyOwnedError(Object metav1.Object, Owner metav1.OwnerReference) *Al
 // reconciling the owner object on changes to controlled (with a Watch + EnqueueRequestForOwner).
 // Since only one OwnerReference can be a controller, it returns an error if
 // there is another OwnerReference with Controller flag set.
-func SetControllerReference(owner, controlled metav1.Object, scheme *runtime.Scheme) error {
+func SetControllerReference(owner, controlled Object, scheme *runtime.Scheme) error {
 	// Validate the owner.
-	ro, ok := owner.(runtime.Object)
-	if !ok {
-		return fmt.Errorf("%T is not a runtime.Object, cannot call SetControllerReference", owner)
-	}
 	if err := validateOwner(owner, controlled); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
 	// Create a new controller ref.
-	gvk, err := apiutil.GVKForObject(ro, scheme)
+	gvk, err := apiutil.GVKForObject(controlled, scheme)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -92,18 +88,14 @@ func SetControllerReference(owner, controlled metav1.Object, scheme *runtime.Sch
 // SetOwnerReference is a helper method to make sure the given object contains an object reference to the object provided.
 // This allows you to declare that owner has a dependency on the object without specifying it as a controller.
 // If a reference to the same object already exists, it'll be overwritten with the newly provided version.
-func SetOwnerReference(owner, object metav1.Object, scheme *runtime.Scheme) error {
+func SetOwnerReference(owner, object Object, scheme *runtime.Scheme) error {
 	// Validate the owner.
-	ro, ok := owner.(runtime.Object)
-	if !ok {
-		return fmt.Errorf("%T is not a runtime.Object, cannot call SetOwnerReference", owner)
-	}
 	if err := validateOwner(owner, object); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
 	// Create a new owner ref.
-	gvk, err := apiutil.GVKForObject(ro, scheme)
+	gvk, err := apiutil.GVKForObject(object, scheme)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -281,9 +273,9 @@ func RemoveFinalizerWithError(o runtime.Object, finalizer string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-// KubernetesObject allows functions to work indistinctly with any resource that
+// Object allows functions to work indistinctly with any resource that
 // implements both Object interfaces.
-type KubernetesObject interface {
+type Object interface {
 	metav1.Object
 	runtime.Object
 }