John Boyega says Disney ‘sidelined’ his Star Wars character Finn due to his race
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British actor John Boyega has accused the Star Wars franchise of sidelining his character in favour of white roles.
In a lengthy interview with GQ, 28-year-old John discussed his career past and present and reflected on his role as rebellious stormtrooper Finn in the sequel Star Wars trilogy.
However, he was not full of praise for the way Disney handled his character.
John said: “You get yourself involved in projects and you’re not necessarily going to like everything.
“[But] 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.”
(Image: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images f)
The Pacific Ring: Uprising star went on to note that this sidelining was not true for the central white characters in the story, with Rey ( Daisy Ridley ) and Kylo Ren ( Adam Driver ) receiving the most pivotal arcs of the trilogy.
The final film The Rise of Skywalker was criticised for the small roles of Finn and Rose Tico, played by actress Kelly Marie Tran.
(Image: Jonathan Olley /Lucasfilm Ltd.)
He added: “Like, you guys knew what to do with Daisy Ridley, you knew what to do with Adam Driver.
“You knew what to do with these other people, 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.”
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
He argued that part-Guatemalan actor Oscar Isaac was also a victim of sidelining in his role as Resistance pilot Poe Dameron.
However, he noted: “I’m the only cast member who had their own unique experience of that franchise based on their race.”
John has since tweeted: “If you can’t read the full article pls pls let your top lip and bottom lip become one.”
(Image: Getty Images)
He added: “These conversations and me sharing isn’t about a witch hunt. It’s about clarity to an anger that can be seen as selfish, disruptive and self indulgent. Obviously in hopes of better change.Bruh. In short. I said what I said. Love to you all seriously. Your support is amazing !”
Disney has been approached for comment by Mirror Online.
John drew significant praise for his speech in Hyde Park earlier this year in support of the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd in the United States.
He will next be seen as police officer and anti-racism reformer Leroy Logan in Sir Steve McQueen’s anthology series Small Axe due on BBC One later this year.
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