Holding nothing back, John Boyega let Disney have it over how he claims they treated their Star Wars characters of color. The actor made his debut in the popular series when he starred in Star Wars: Episode VII—The Force Awakens, and immediately after the trailer was released, John Boyega was the target of racists who had quite a bit to say about his Black stormtrooper character. In a recent interview with British GQ, Boyega reflected on his experiences with the franchise and called out Disney on how they handled his situation.
"I'm the only cast member who had their own unique experience of that franchise based on their race," said Boyega. "Let's just leave it like that. It makes you angry with a process like that. It makes you much more militant; it changes you. Because you realize, ‘I got given this opportunity but I'm in an industry that wasn't even ready for me.'"
In recent months, Joh Boyega has made headlines over his outspoken opinions regarding the Black Lives Matter Movement. The actor has once again faced racism online but he's continued to stand his ground. "Nobody else in the cast had people saying they were going to boycott the movie because [they were in it]," Boyega told British GQ. "Nobody else had the uproar and death threats sent to their Instagram DMs and social media, saying, ‘Black this and Black that and you shouldn't be a stormtrooper.' Nobody else had that experience. But yet people are surprised that I'm this way. That's my frustration."
"It's so difficult to maneuver. You get yourself involved in projects and you're not necessarily going to like everything," he added. "[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... What they want you to say is, ‘I enjoyed being a part of it. It was a great experience...' Nah, nah, nah."
Boyega admitted that he did enjoy his time filming Star Wars, but he can't help but highlight areas that he believes need improvement. After receiving another heap of backlash over his British GQ comments, John Boyega returned to his Twitter page to double down on his remarks. "These conversations and me sharing isn’t about a witch hunt. It’s about clarity to an anger that can be seen as selfish, disruptive and self indulgent. Obviously in hopes of better change.Bruh. In short. I said what I said. Love to you all seriously. Your support is amazing!"
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