John Boyega Says He’s Warming Up To ‘Star Wars’ After Reflecting On “Ugly” Experiences With The Franchise

John Boyega is still in the early stages of his acting career, but he has clearly experienced quite a bit, thanks in no small part to his large role in the most recent “Star Wars” sequel trilogy. And he hasn’t been scared to open up about his negative experiences making those films, along with how they have affected his career moving forward. But now, several years after the release of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” Boyega is able to reflect and look at the bright side of his experience in the galaxy far, far away.

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Speaking to The Times, while promoting his recent film, “Breaking,” John Boyega is asked to reflect on his time in the “Star Wars” franchise. For context, this comes after years of the actor talking about how his character, Finn, was treated poorly in terms of where the story of the franchise went in the final couple of films. He feels as if Finn’s treatment (going from being promoted as the lead of the first film to a secondary character in the next two) was ultimately detrimental to Black actors trying to make a name for themselves and for the representation of Black characters in genre storytelling and blockbuster films. 

Ultimately, Boyega’s speaking out resulted in conversations with executives at Lucasfilm. And now, after a few years, the actor credits his experiences, even the “ugly times,” for making him who he is today. Not only that, he’s able to watch “Star Wars” content and appreciate it again.

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“For me ‘Star Wars’ has made the man, in a sense,” Boyega explained. “The experiences, the fun times, good times, ugly times, bad times, it makes you who you are as you navigate through the industry, and that has definitely been interesting.”

He added, “So in terms of Finn? I dunno. I feel like the arc that JJ [Abrams] tried to tie up, that’s where I feel comfortable with the release of him. And since then I’ve been able to enjoy, as a fan, ‘The Mandalorian’ and ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi.’ I’m enjoying the balance of all things.”

Representation in blockbuster films, especially in franchises like “Star Wars” and Marvel, has grown quite a bit in the near-decade since the release of Boyega’s appearance in ‘The Force Awakens’ back in 2015. So, in that sense, you can see why Boyega is probably a bit more relaxed in his feelings about his “Star Wars” experiences. 

However, it’s also clear this is still a bit of an open wound and not likely something that will heal anytime soon. We’ve already seen how Boyega has basically sworn off big franchise filmmaking at this point (other than “Attack the Block 2,” of course).