John Boyega (born March 17, 1992) is a British actor who stars as Finn in the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
Biography[edit | edit source]
His involvement in the sequel trilogy was first announced on April 29, 2014.[2] He has also been involved in Star Wars: Forces of Destiny as well as several Star Wars video games; After making a Twitter post criticizing Star Wars Battlefront's lack of a story campaign,[3] Boyega hosted a trailer for Star Wars Battlefront II.[4]
In 2019, after moving apartments, Boyega accidentally left a script for Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker under his bed, which was found a few weeks later by a cleaner, who not realizing what they had, posted the script on eBay for $84. The script was purchased by a quick-thinking Disney staffer, preventing a massive leak, but Boyega nevertheless found the experience "scary."[5]
In response to the death of George Floyd, John Boyega spoke at a Black Lives Matter rally in Hyde Park, London. Boyega's speech was praised by other celebrities including fellow Star Wars star Mark Hamill, director J.J. Abrams, and Lucasfilm.[6][7][8]
Boyega has been openly critical of his involvement in the sequel trilogy. In a 2020 interview with GQ, he said “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.”[9][10][11]
Star Wars works[edit | edit source]
Bibliography[edit | edit source]
Star Wars: Episode VII Cast Announced on StarWars.com (backup link)- Star Wars: Episode VII Adds Academy Award Winner Lupita Nyong'o and Game of Thrones' Gwendoline Christie on StarWars.com (backup link)
- "Launch Pad"—Star Wars Insider 150
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens Official Teaser Trailer on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- "Launch Pad"—Star Wars Insider 154
- "Launch Pad"—Star Wars Insider 155
- "Bantha Tracks"—Star Wars Insider 160
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens Character Posters Revealed on StarWars.com (backup link)
- "John Boyega Is Finn"—Star Wars Insider 162
- Star Wars Episode VIII Now Filming on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi | Training Featurette on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- Star Wars: Episode IX Panel | Star Wars Celebration Chicago 2019 on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- John Boyega Takes The Stage At SWCC 2019 | The Star Wars Show Live! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- Lucasfilm Stands with John Boyega on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga: The Official Collector's Edition
Notes and references[edit | edit source]
- ↑
Behind the Scenes of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, LEGO Bucketheads, and More! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- ↑
Star Wars: Episode VII Cast Announced on StarWars.com (backup link)
- ↑ Tassi, Paul. John Boyega Asks EA For A 'Star Wars: Battlefront' Story Campaign (2016-03-04). Forbes. forbes.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2016.
- ↑
This is Star Wars Battlefront 2 on the official Electronic Arts Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- ↑ Steinbuch, Yaron. 'Star Wars' actor John Boyega admits script that landed on eBay was his (2019-11-27). nypost.com. New York Post. Archived from the original on March 16, 2020.
- ↑ John Boyega Delivers Impassioned Speech at London Black Lives Matter Protest (3 June 2020). hollywoodreporter.com. The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 8, 2020.
- ↑ John Boyega's rousing Black Lives Matter speech wins praise and support (4 June 2020). theguardian.com. The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 7, 2020.
- ↑ Lucasfilm Stands with John Boyega on StarWars.com (backup link)
- ↑ Famurewa, Jimi. John Boyega: 'I'm the only cast member whose experience of Star Wars was based on their race' (2020-09-02). gq-magazine.co.uk. GQ. Archived from the original on September 2, 2020.
- ↑ John Boyega to Disney: Nonwhite 'Star Wars' characters were 'pushed to the side' (2 September 2020). Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 9, 2020.
- ↑ John Boyega Is Finally Ready To Talk Star Wars & He's Not Holding Back (3 September 2020). refinery29.com. Refinery29. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020.
External links[edit | edit source]
- John Boyega (@JohnBoyega) on Twitter
- John Boyega on Wikipedia
- John Boyega at the Internet Movie Database
