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For other uses, see John.

John Boyega (born March 17, 1992) is a British actor who stars as Finn in the Star Wars sequel trilogy.

Biography[]

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]

In 2025, Boyega said he did not want to speculate on Finn's future, citing that one could be disappointed if they "over projected" on a character whose journey ended up going in a different way. All the same, he did express interest in Finn being a "scoundrel Jedi" who wielded a lightsaber-blaster hybrid. He believed that Finn could go anywhere as a character but stated he had found peace in enjoying Star Wars as a fan, in particular expressing joy at Daisy Ridley's upcoming Rey film.[12]

Star Wars works[]

Title Release date
Disney Infinity 3.0 2015
Star Tours: The Adventures Continue
Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens
LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens 2016
Star Wars Forces of Destiny — "Tracker Trouble" 2017
Star Wars Battlefront II
Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi
Star Wars Forces of Destiny — "Shuttle Shock" 2018
Star Wars Forces of Destiny — "Perilous Pursuit"
Star Wars: Galaxy's EdgeRise of the Resistance 2019
Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

  1. This Week! in Star Wars Behind the Scenes of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, LEGO Bucketheads, and More! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
  2. StarWars.com Star Wars: Episode VII Cast Announced on StarWars.com (backup link)
  3. John Boyega Asks EA For A 'Star Wars: Battlefront' Story Campaign by Tassi, Paul on Forbes (March 4, 2016) (backup link archived on June 18, 2016)
  4. This is Star Wars Battlefront 2 on the official Electronic Arts Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
  5. 'Star Wars' actor John Boyega admits script that landed on eBay was his by Steinbuch, Yaron on nypost.com (November 27, 2019) (backup link archived on March 16, 2020)
  6. John Boyega Delivers Impassioned Speech at London Black Lives Matter Protest on The Hollywood Reporter (June 3, 2020) (backup link archived on June 8, 2020)
  7. John Boyega's rousing Black Lives Matter speech wins praise and support on The Guardian (June 4, 2020) (backup link archived on June 7, 2020)
  8. StarWars.com Lucasfilm Stands with John Boyega on StarWars.com (backup link)
  9. John Boyega: 'I'm the only cast member whose experience of Star Wars was based on their race' by Famurewa, Jimi on www.gq-magazine.co.uk (September 2, 2020) (backup link archived on September 2, 2020)
  10. John Boyega to Disney: Nonwhite 'Star Wars' characters were 'pushed to the side' on the Los Angeles Times (September 2, 2020) (backup link archived on October 9, 2020)
  11. John Boyega Is Finally Ready To Talk Star Wars & He's Not Holding Back on www.refinery29.com (September 3, 2020) (backup link archived on October 26, 2020)
  12. John Boyega talks STAR WARS audition, Reylo, Marvel, ATTACK THE BLOCK sequel on the Josh Horowitz YouTube channel (May 12, 2025) (backup link)

External links[]