Finn actor John Boyega has spoken directly about the racism, especially the anti-Black racism, he has seen within the Star Wars franchise and fanbase. Boyega is far from the first to voice issues with anti-Black and racist rhetoric within the Star Wars fanbase, especially in response to more recent additions to Star Wars movies and TV shows. Not only the sequel trilogy but also shows like The Acolyte have received the brunt of these attacks online—which isn’t to overlook how other Black Star Wars actors, like Ahmed Best, have been similarly targeted.
Finn actor John Boyega is absolutely not mincing words when it comes to the pervasive issue of racism seen within the Star Wars franchise and fanbase. Per Entertainment Weekly, Boyega shared:
“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 went on to highlight that some will argue that the fanbase isn’t racist because characters like Lando Calrissian and Mace Windu weren’t as heavily scrutinized. To that, Boyega said, “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 added:
“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!'”
Boyega is likely to face exactly the type of backlash he is speaking about in this interview in response to his comments, although that should only validate what he’s saying all the more.
John Boyega Is Right About Star Wars’ Problems With Racism
It’s A Shame That It’s On Boyega To Make These Points, But He’s Correct
However unpopular Boyega’s comments may be with some in the Star Wars fanbase, he is absolutely correct about the Star Wars franchise and fanbase’s issues with racism. After all, Boyega’s own frustrations with the Star Wars franchise seem to have begun when Finn was entirely sidelined in the sequel trilogy. Initially, the marketing and Star Wars: The Force Awakens heavily hinted that Finn was Force-sensitive and would become a Jedi, going so far as to have him wield the iconic Skywalker lightsaber more than once.
Yet, Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker saw Finn increasingly pushed to the side, along with other actors of color in the sequels, like Kelly Marie Tran. There will always be those who argue that the actors of color being sidelined was entirely coincidental and/or had nothing to do with race, but that argument has always been flimsy at the very best and entirely disingenuous at the worst—the latter of which I’m much more inclined to believe. As mentioned, this issue hardly began with the sequels.
Lucasfilm Needs To Confront This Problem
The Franchise Can’t Successfully Continue On The Path It’s Currently On
The truth is, Lucasfilm needs a two-pronged approach to this issue. On the one hand, the franchise absolutely has to address these issues within the fanbase and call out this behavior of online harᴀssment as entirely unacceptable, the way that Star Wars actors of color like John Boyega have. (The cancelation of The Acolyte was the opposite of this, it’s worth noting.) On the other hand, Star Wars has to genuinely embrace actors of color as leads.
Even should Lucasfilm do so, it may feel too little too late for some Star Wars actors, perhaps including John Boyega himself. I’m devastated at the prospect that Rey’s story might continue without Finn, although I would respect Boyega’s decision should he choose to no longer play the role if offered. It’s truly a shame in advance to know that these comments are going to spark much of the behavior Boyega is calling out, but Finn actor John Boyega’s message about racism within the Star Wars fanbase and franchise is correct nevertheless.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
