Star WarsactorJohn Boyega has come forward to give his parting thoughts on his experience working on the set of Disney’s sequel trilogy. The star, who previously made public his negative interactions with the franchise and the process behind it, offered more subdued opinions with the benefit of hindsight in a recent interview.
After acquiringStar Warswith its purchase of Lucasfilm, Disney’s first order of business was the long-awaited sequel trilogy, kicking off withStar Wars: The Force Awakensin 2015. One of that film’s most important characters was a renegade stormtrooper named Finn, portrayed by Boyega. While the trilogy was still unfolding, Boyega aired his frustrations concerning the treatment of the character and himself, sparking a larger debate aboutStar Warsand racism, with most people agreeing thatDisney failed both Boyega and the character Finn.
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However, several years removed from the experience, Boyega has taken a wiser view of the ordeal. “For me, Star Wars has made the man, in a sense," Boyega said in a recent interview withThe Times. “The experiences, the fun times, good times, ugly times, bad times, it makes you who you are as you navigate through the industry, and that has definitely been interesting.” He also recently discussedthe racist attacks on Moses Ingram by someStar Warsfansdue to her role inKenobi,expressing approval for Disney’s more active role in striking back against the hate.
As for Finn’s character, Boyega seems content with leaving it as is. “I feel like the arc that JJ tried to tie up, that’s where I feel comfortable with the release of him. And since then, I’ve been able to enjoy, as a fan, The Mandalorian and Obi-Wan Kenobi. I’m enjoying the balance of all things.” It’s well known thatBoyega’s criticism led to a meeting with Disney, where his views and ideas likely helped pave the way for the character’s return in the trilogy’s conclusion.
Boyega has made peace with the experiences he once sought to highlight while working onStar Wars, but undoubtedly still agrees with his earlier assertion thatthe discussion aroundStar Warsand racehe started was worth having. How the lessons learned around his experience and that of Ingram will help shape Disney’s future treatment of Black characters and actors remains to be seen. However, there is hope that no one will ever have to go through quite the same harrowing experience Boyega did, in no small part thanks to the man himself.
