John Boyega, who played ex-stormtrooper Finn in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, called out fans of the science fantasy saga for being "so white" during an appearance in the new Apple TV+ original documentary titled Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood (via Entertainment Weekly). Boyega debuted as Finn in 2015's J.J. Abrams-directed Star Wars: The Force Awakens and reprised the role in The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019).
“Lemme tell ya, Star Wars always had the vibe of being in the most whitest, elite space. It’s a franchise that’s so white that a Black person existing in [it] was something,” Boyega said during the interview in the documentary. “You can always tell it’s something when some Star Wars fans try to say, ‘Well, we had Lando Calrissian and had Samuel L. Jackson!’ It’s like telling me how many cookie chips are in the cookie dough. It’s like, they just scattered that in there, bro!”
“They’re okay with us playing the best friend, but once we touch their heroes, once we lead, once we trailblaze, it’s like, ‘Oh my God, it’s just a bit too much! They’re pandering,'” Boyega added, while also mentioning that being cast in the Star Wars franchise was a “fundamental moment” in his career. He continued, "We waited months for that. When that big call came in, that's that call that all those stars talk about that changed their life and stuff. It's like, 'That's it? That's the call!' It's such an attack on reality."
In a September 2020 interview with British GQ, Boyega criticized how the franchise handled his character, who was initially set to be a co-lead in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, but subsequently had a less significant role in The Rise of Skywalker. He told the magazine at that time: “What I would say to Disney is do not bring out a Black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are and then have them pushed to the side. It’s not good. I’ll say it straight up.”
“You guys knew what to do with Daisy Ridley, you knew what to do with Adam Driver,” the actor added. “But when it came to Kelly Marie Tran, when it came to John Boyega, you know f--k all. So what do you want me to say? What they want you to say is, ‘I enjoyed being a part of it. It was a great experience…’ Nah, nah, nah. I’ll take that deal when it’s a great experience. They gave all the nuance to Adam Driver, all the nuance to Daisy Ridley. Let’s be honest. Daisy knows this. Adam knows this. Everybody knows. I’m not exposing anything.”
Just a few weeks after that interview, Boyega revealed in an interview with THR that a Disney executive reached out to him after his talk with British GQ. At that time, he told the outlet that he had “a very honest, a very transparent conversation” with the Disney executive, adding: “There was a lot of explaining on their end in terms of the way they saw things. They gave me a chance also to explain what my experience was like. I’d hope that me being so open with my career, at this stage, would help the next man, the guy that wants to be the assistant DOP, the guy that wants to be a producer. I hope that the conversation is not such a taboo or elephant in the room now, because someone just came and said it.”
Will John Boyega star in Daisy Ridley's upcoming Star Wars movie?
Last May, Daisy Ridley was asked by THR if she'd like to reunite with her Star Wars sequel trilogy co-star, John Boyega.
"Absolutely, of course," Ridley said when asked if she'd want Boyega to be a part of her upcoming Star Wars movie set in the New Jedi Order era. "It feels like we should, yeah."
During an interview with Variety last year, Ridley addressed other sequel trilogy stars appearing in the movie. When asked if it will be weird to make a Star Wars film without Boyega, Adam Driver (Ben Solo/Kylo Ren), and Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron). She said:
No, because I don't know what is what or who is who [in the new movie]. So much has happened for me [since the Skywalker saga]. I feel like a grown-up now. When I first started, I was, like, 20. I was the youngest on set. It took me the first two Star Wars films to feel worthy of being there. Now I'm in my 30s. The whole thing feels quite different. I've been able to work with other filmmakers, and hopefully, I've got better as a performer.
Star Wars: New Jedi Order, which will be directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (Ms. Marvel) with a script from George Nolfi (The Bourne Ultimatum), currently doesn't have an official release date yet, and plot details are still being kept under wraps.
Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood documentary is now streaming on Apple TV+.
