Star Warsseems to have been a bit of a double-edged sword for star John Boyega. While his role in the sequels definitely earned him a lot of exposure, it also gave way to some toxic behaviors from fans and even the actual studios behind the movies. As he gears up now to star ina sequel to his pre-Star WarshitAttack the Block, it seems the actor hasn’t lost any of the fire that came out in recent years, and that’s probably a good thing.
Boyega made some waves worth making last year when he gave his unfiltered takes on the treatment of people of color inStar Warsand mainstream media in general. During a widespread interview, he called out Disney formarketing hisStar Warscharacter as someone importantand then just putting him off to the side, which is a trend that affects Black people and other people of color in more than just theStar Warsseries. Recently, he sat down to discuss his own career, and the topic inevitably shifted to the conversation he sparked with his comments in that previous interview.
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“I think I wanted to discuss the elephant in the room that is easily dismissed sometimes, easily seen as a selfish act, a way to put the attention on you,” Boyega said when NPR asked about theGQinterview that brought out his hard-hitting statements. “I think that more conversations have even been bubbling with other actors now in different projects and franchises … things that they noticed as well. And it’s a conversation worth having, to be honest.” He isn’t wrong to say that his comments inspired a number of conversations, andthey even prompted a meeting with Disneymeant to, in theory, address Boyega’s concerns. The thing is, it’s one thing to call a meeting as a show of good faith. However, it’s another thing entirely to actually follow through and make some actual, concrete changes.
But whether anything substantial has actually been done as a result is less of a clear-cut question. It was clear right from the first viewing ofThe Rise of Skywalkerthat it gave the loudest fanstoo much power, and it’s a rather unfortunate truth that the loudest fans tend to be the ones who care little about representation and treating people of color equally. This was clear right from the first teaser forThe Force Awakensthat showed off Boyega’s character, as he said he immediately began receiving death threats from angry fans simply for existing as himself in the movie. That’s not to mention the arguably even more horrific attacks many of the same people inflicted on fellow star Kelly Marie Tran in the wake ofThe Last Jediand beyond.
During the interview, Boyega gave some praise toThe Falcon and the Winter Soldierfor respectfully elevating its Black lead Anthony Mackie and pointed out how he felt “bypassed” to see that from the same company that diminished his own role. Disney may have learned from his callouts on its behavior regarding race, but it may have been a too little too late situation since many insistthey failed both Boyega and his character Finn.
It’s much more difficult to win back lost goodwill than it is to simply cultivate it from the start, and Disney has paved a rather rough path of their own in this regard. But knowing that they were willing to sit down with Boyega and that they appear to have made some clear strides, as proven byThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier, might show that there’s a glimmer of light ahead. Hopefully, things get better going forward.
