John Boyega Criticizes Star Wars Fans for Not Accepting Black Characters in Main Roles

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John Boyega Criticizes Star Wars Fans for Not Accepting Black Characters in Main Roles

John Boyega has been openly critical of the world of Star Wars in the past. The actor once again took the legendary franchise to task in a recent interview, calling out fans of the franchise and their feelings over black characters.

What did John Boyega say about Star Wars?

Boyega recently spoke as part of an appearance on the Apple TV+ original documentary Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood. In the interview (via Entertainment Weekly), Boyega said that Star Wars has become “so white” that it’s now newsworthy when a black person joins the franchise.

“Lemme tell ya, Star Wars always had the vibe of being in the most whitest, elite space. It’s a franchise that’s so white that a Black person existing in [it] was something,” Boyega said. “You can always tell it’s something when some Star Wars fans try to say, ‘Well, we had Lando Calrissian and had Samuel L. Jackson!’ It’s like telling me how many cookie chips are in the cookie dough. It’s like, they just scattered that in there, bro!”

Boyega went on to criticize fans of Star Wars, who he says are content with seeing black actors in the franchise as “the best friend” character, but seem to have an issue once they become a lead character in the sci-fi world.

“They’re okay with us playing the best friend, but once we touch their heroes, once we lead, once we trailblaze, it’s like, ‘Oh my God, it’s just a bit too much! They’re pandering,'” said Boyega.

Boyega has not been shy about his criticism of the Star Wars universe throughout the years. Although he acknowledged in the Apple TV+ series that his casting in the sequel trilogies was a “fundamental moment” in his life, he has been openly critical of how he was used in the films, how he was treated by fans, and how he was protected by Disney.

“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,” said Boyega in a 2020 interview with GQ magazine about his time with the world.