John Boyega still has a bone to pick with Star Wars fans who refuse to accept diversity in the popular sci-fi franchise.
The British actor starred as ex-stormtrooper Finn in three major films, including Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Despite being honored to initially join the cast, his addition to the franchise led to a lot of racist comments and hate-filled backlash.
Along with speaking out on the mistreatment he and some of his former costars endured, he also voiced his frustration with his character being “sidelined” by Disney.
And during the first episode of Apple TV+’s Number One on the Call Sheet — a two-part documentary chronicling the experience of Black actors in Hollywood — John kept the conversation going. In the special, he opens up about the lack of diversity in the franchise and why he believes Star Wars fans are resistant to non-white actors joining the journey.
“Lemme tell ya, Star Wars always had the vibe of being in the most whitest, elite space,” John said in the documentary. “It’s a franchise that’s so white that a Black person existing in [it] was something.”
“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!”
The They Cloned Tyrone star went on to criticize the fans who always push back against Black actors taking on leading roles in movies like these. “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.’”
But despite his personal experience, he isn’t ashamed to admit that the first Star Wars film he was featured in was extremely fundamental to his career.
“The Force Awakens to me was a fundamental moment,” he said in the documentary. “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.”
Well, it didn’t take long for his comments to hit the internet. And let’s just say they were met with mixed emotions:
What are your thoughts on John’s remarks? Let me know in the comments!