John Boyega has previously voiced his grievances about Disney’s fumbling with diversity in his “Star Wars” trilogy, most notably to GQ Magazine in 2020: “What I would say to Disney is don’t put out a black character, market it them as much more important in the franchise than they are and then pushed them aside. It is not good. I say it directly.”
“You knew what to do with Daisy Ridley, you knew what to do with Adam Driver,” Boyega continued at the time. “But when it came to Kelly Marie Tran, when it came to John Boyega, you know damn it. So what can I say? They want you to say, “I enjoyed being a part of this. It was a great experience…” Nah, nah, nah. I’ll take that deal if it’s a great experience. They gave Adam Driver all the nuances, Daisy Ridley all the nuances. let’s be honest Daisy knows that. Adam knows that. Everyone knows. I won’t reveal anything.”
Boyega isn’t keen to revisit the subject, telling Total Film magazine in a new interview, “I said what I said about it and that doesn’t change overnight. We handled that years ago. [There’s no point] recycle the same story that has been around for two years.”
Whatever Boyega criticized about “Star Wars,” they never stopped the actor from loving the space franchise. He told Total Film that he remains a “massive, massive” Star Wars fan.
“I was the person on set who corrected things,” Boyega said. “Like the flying jet fighters we had in ‘The Rise of Skywalker.’ Poe had said, “They’re flying now,” and I thought they saw the flying jet fighters from here [animated TV series] “The Clone Wars.” I play the games on ‘Battlefront’. I have a strong connection to all that ‘Star Wars’ stuff.”
“My first interaction with ‘Star Wars’ was with a Darth Maul character,” he continued. “I’m a ’90s baby, so I came during the prequels. I said, ‘Damn it, man.’ I didn’t know what it was, but I knew it looked cool and there were spaceships and wrist-cutting glowsticks. After that I went back to the old “Star Wars”. OK, I’m guilty – I said the effects sucked when I was younger! I didn’t know any better. Then I grew up and fell in love with her. I’m still in love with her. I fucking love it. But it’s almost nicer not having to be there and not having to deal with it. It’s weird, you just become a fan again and see yourself in the games.”
So there you have it: John Boyega finds it easier to be a “Star Wars” fan than a “Star Wars” actor. He told the mag that he “loves” all of the Star Wars series on Disney+, so chances are he’s streaming the latest season of The Mandalorian.
