John Boyega has stated that he is through with the Star Wars saga and that it is fine if his character Finn only appears in cartoons, video games, and comic books going forward. Boyega plays the renegade Stormtrooper Finn in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, beginning with Episode VII: The Force Awakens. Boyega was already a target for racist and sexist fans who were outraged to see a Black actor cast in a major role in the Star Wars saga before Finn even made it to theatres. Boyega has always been open about the racist assaults he has endured online and has pointed out that Disney and Lucasfilm have not done enough to safeguard their employees from similar harassment.
It’s easy to see why Boyega came away from the ordeal with a sour disposition. Yet, the actor had earlier stated, “as long as it is Kathleen, J.J. [Abrams], and maybe someone else and the crew, it’s a no-brainer.” That doesn’t appear to be the situation anymore. Boyega stated this on SiriusXM’s Tell Me Everything With John Fugelsang podcast. Right now I can take or leave it. Without it, I’m OK. At this point, I feel confident saying that Finn is someone you can love for what he is in various mediums, such as video games and animated films. However, I think that “[Episode] VII” through “[Episode] IX” were beneficial to me.
Boyega also discussed his recent work, highlighting how Breaking and The Woman King showed him he had greater potential outside of the Star Wars universe. To paraphrase what Boyega says: “To be honest,” she said, “with the allies that I’ve discovered inside Joel Taylor and Jamie Foxx, Teyonah Parris, Viola Davis, all these folks I’ve been working with…” Boyega also spoke on the recent racist comments made against Moses Ingram, who portrayed an Inquisitor in the Obi-Wan Kenobi films, in the Star Wars canon.
As far as he is concerned, things are looking good for the industry as a whole because Lucasfilm has spoken out in favour of Ingram. To paraphrase what Boyega says: If Moses Ingram is safe, then so am I. Have I been able to convey my meaning to you? Okay, great, I guess it makes sense. No, I’m not the big problem here. Because when I started, it wasn’t really a discussion you could bring up. You know how they went through it. Let’s all just shut up for a while, was the gist of it. It wasn’t a discussion you could bring up. But now to see how clear it is, to have Ewan McGregor come and support… for me, [it] satisfies my period where I didn’t get the support.” On September 16, you can see Boyega in his next film The Woman King.