In another sign that tensions are cooling between John Boyega and Disney/Lucasfilm, the actor revealed that he had a conversation with a high-level Disney executive after he voiced some brutally honest advice following his experience on Star Wars. In a new interview to promote Small Axe, Boyega seems to be at peace with where things landed with Disney after the talks, which he hopes will make it easier for the other actors.
“It was a very honest, a very transparent conversation,” Boyega says. “There was a lot of explaining on their end in terms of the way they saw things. They gave me a chance also to explain what my experience was like. I’d hope that me being so open with my career, at this stage, would help the next man, the guy that wants to be the assistant DOP, the guy that wants to be a producer. I hope that the conversation is not such a taboo or elephant in the room now, because someone just came and said it.”
To rewind, here’s what Boyega told British GQ back in September: “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 is, of course, referring to early marketing material for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which prominently featured Finn holding a lightsaber and led fans to believe he would be the star of the new films. Instead, Daisy Ridley was revealed to be the Jedi hero of the sequel trilogy. While speaking to British GQ Boyega questioned why he was being sidelined, unlike his white co-stars: “[You] 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*ck all.”
Fortunately, Boyega and Disney appear to have reached an understanding, which could explain why the actor was recently receptive to the idea of reprising the role of Finn fter making comments on social media that he was “done” with Star Wars.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)