In his first interview since finishing the latest Star Wars trilogy, John Boyega opened up about his personal experiences and the difficulties of being a Black actor on a massive franchise film. In particular, Boyega expressed frustration over how his character was handled in the marketing and story of the films. He also called out Disney specifically for how they marketed his appearance, arguing that Finn was promoted heavily in marketing, only to be sidelined during the actual films.
“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.” Boyega was incredibly direct while talking to GQ, expressing not only the frustration of being minimized in the films themselves, but of operating in a professional setting that was not equipped to serve the needs of a Black actor.
During the filming of The Force Awakens, Boyega was disappointed by his stylist, who had never worked with Black hair before, “but still had the guts to pretend.” The actor remarked on how he felt his appearance during press tours was carefully controlled, and hid aspects of his true self, such as being forced to wear his hair shorter. “When Black men grow out their hair it’s a very powerful thing. Culturally, it stands for something.” Overall, the actor views his frustrations with the experience as part of a systemic mistreatment of Black characters: “They’re always scared. They’re always fricking sweating.”
John Boyega called out The Last Jedi in particular for failing to make the most of his character, as well as being for other actors of color: “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 fuck all. So what do you want me to say?” Looking back, while Boyega was grateful for the opportunity and career boost, he ultimately found it impossible to separate that from the failings of the studio and the racist abuse from segments of the community, remarking on his time with the franchise that: “I’m the only cast member who had their own unique experience of that franchise based on their race.”
The Last Jedi is streaming on Disney+.
Source: GQ Magazine
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