John Boyega has made no secret of his dissatisfaction with his storyline across the Star Wars sequels as Finn, the former Stormtrooper turned Rebel leader. In the fall of 2020, less than a year after the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Boyega said in an interview that Lucasfilm’s treatment of his character was “not good,” and said that Disney needed to learn not to “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.” He also said around that time that he had “moved on” from Star Wars “for good.”
Two years later, Boyega has not changed his mind. In an interview with SiriusXM radio, he said he is still “good off it” when asked whether he’d play Finn again. “I think Finn is at a good confirmation point where you can just enjoy him in other things, the games, the animation,” he added, explaining that appearing in the three Star Wars sequels was enough for him for now.
Boyega did say, though, that he has been pleased to see the support Moses Ingram received from Disney and from her Obi-Wan Kenobi co-star Ewan McGregor when she faced racist attacks from supposed Star Wars fans. “Moses Ingram being protected makes me feel protected,” Boyega said. “Because when I started, it wasn’t really a conversation you could bring up.”
Rather than feel bitter, Boyega says the change in approach to the online mistreatment of Star Wars actors of color makes him feel “fantastic.” “Sometimes you’re not the guy to get the blessing and sometimes you are Moses, you know, you lead the people to the mountain, but you see the destination. You don’t get to go in, you get others to go in. And that’s where you get your happiness from.”
While Boyega says “versatility is [his] path” for the foreseeable future, he did joke about returning at some point way down the line — in a role comparable to the one Harrison Ford played when he appeared as the older Han Solo in The Force Awakens. “Go back when you’re 79!” he laughed. “‘Chewie, we’re home!’ Harrison Ford that a little bit.
You can watch Boyega’s full comments about Star Wars below:
[H/T Variety]
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