Star Wars actor John Boyega has criticised Disney in an explosive interview, claiming he was “pushed to the side” because of his race.
The 28-year-old, who played Finn in the rebooted films, made history in the 2015 blockbuster The Force Awakens as the first ever black stormtrooper – a monumental step forward that Disney marketed heavily at the time.
But five years later and the British-Nigerian actor has revealed it was all a facade in an intense interview with British GQ.
“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,” Boyega said.
“It’s not good. I’ll say it straight up.”
Boyega’s role of Finn was prominent in the first Star Wars film, however his storyline dwindled considerably in The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019).
He says his main co-stars Adam Driver and Daisy Ridley, who played Kylo Ren and Rey respectively, didn’t suffer the same fate.
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“Like, you guys knew what to do with Daisy Ridley, you knew what to do with Adam Driver,” Boyega told the publication.
“You knew what to do with these other people, but when it came to Kelly Marie Tran (Rose Tico), when it came to John Boyega, you know f**k y’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.”
The actor participated in a Black Lives Matter rally in London in June following the death of George Floyd, admitting the hate he’d received had changed his persona.
“Let’s just leave it like that. It makes you angry with a process like that. It makes you much more militant; it changes you,” Boyega said. “Because you realise, ‘I got given this opportunity but I’m in an industry that wasn’t even ready for me.’”
“Nobody else had that experience but yet people are surprised that I’m this way. That’s my frustration.”
Check out John Boyega’s interview with GQ:
