Actor John Boyega has accused Disney of sidelining his Star Wars character in favour of his white co-stars.
The London-born actor, 28, played Finn, the franchise’s first black Stormtrooper, in the recent trilogy.
But his screen time was less in sequels The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker than in opener The Force Awakens.
John said: “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.”
He claimed the films’ owner Disney “knew what to do” with Daisy Ridley’s Rey and Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren “but when it came to John Boyega, you know f*** all.
“They gave all the nuance to Adam Driver, all the nuance to Daisy Ridley.”
The British actor said his experience with the franchise had made him more “militant” about racial inequality (Image: PA)
“Let’s be honest. Daisy knows this. Adam knows this. Everybody knows. I’m not exposing anything.”
The actor’s comments come months after he expressed his anger and frustration over the death of 46-year-old George Floyd.
The star took to Instagram to join in the outcry by sharing his heartache over Floyd’s death.
Boyega also spoke to protesters in Parliament square during an anti-racism demonstration in London in June.
The British actor said his experience with the franchise, as well as the abuse he received on social media, had made him more “militant” about racial inequality.
Boyega spoke to protesters in Parliament square during an anti-racism demonstration in June (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
He added: “I’m the only cast member who had their own unique experience of that franchise based on their race.
“Let’s just leave it like that.
“It makes you angry with a process like that. It makes you much more militant; it changes you.
“Because you realise, ‘I got given this opportunity but I’m in an industry that wasn’t even ready for me.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
