While Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker came under fire for various reasons, the film got criticized for how it treated its characters such as John Boyega's Finn. And now that the Skywalker Saga has finally concluded, the actor gets candid about his experience in working on the franchise.
In a recent interview with GQ, Boyega defended J.J. Abrams from those who blame the director for The Rise of Skywalker while pointing out that his character was pushed aside despite being lobbied as a key part of the sequel trilogy.
"Everybody needs to leave my boy alone. He wasn't even supposed to come back and try to save your shit. 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 failed to be given the same attention, along with the other people of color in the cast, Naomi Ackie, Kelly Marie Tran, and Oscar Isaac. Tran, who plays the part of Rose even suffered racist harassment prompting her to leave social media. Her character's role was also reduced in The Rise of Skywalker, given less than 2 minutes of screentime.
"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?"
The actor also admitted that with his character pushed aside, the nuance was all given to Kylo Ren actor Adam Driver and Rey actor Daisy Ridley, pointing out that his co-stars also know this.
"What they want you to say is, ‘I enjoyed being a part of it. It was a great experience.' 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."
Boyega's casting in The Force Awakens even inspired racist hashtags that suggest boycotting the film. While the actor acknowledges the "amazing opportunity," he won't deny the challenges of being in the industry while Black.
In contrast, the actor's upcoming project, Small Axe, has a positive experience, reminding him of his happier days at drama school, expected to be released later this month.
Also Read: Star Wars: The Mandalorian Season 2 Release Date Officially Revealed
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