John Boyega ‘Comfortable’ with treatment of black ‘Star Wars’ characters – World Time Todays

John Boyega has always been open about how his role in the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy was a complicated experience for him. On the one hand, the franchise brought him international fame and paved the way for more interesting projects. But he’s also made it clear that there are downsides to being one of the first major black actors on such a popular series.

The actor has often spoken out about what he felt was a lack of support from Disney when dealing with racial harassment from fans, as well as his general dissatisfaction with his character playing a smaller role than the film’s marketing materials often suggested.

“It’s so hard to maneuver,” Boyega said in 2020. “You get involved in projects and you’re not necessarily going to like everything. [But] What I would say to Disney is don’t release black characters, market them as being much more important in the franchise than they are, and then let them sideline. It is not good. I say it directly.”

Now, with the trilogy firmly behind him and a thriving film career that sees him no longer tied to the franchise, Boyega seems more introspective about the experience. In a new interview with The Times, Boyega explained how he’s made peace with the franchise.

“For me, in a way, ‘Star Wars’ made the man,” he said. “The experiences, the fun times, good times, ugly times, bad times, make you who you are as you navigate the industry, and that’s definitely been interesting.”

He went on to say that many of his narrative complaints about his character’s relevance to the story have been corrected by JJ Abrams’ conclusion of The Rise of Skywalker trilogy. He added that his satisfaction with the story’s ending made him enjoy Disney’s subsequent Star Wars projects as a fan.

“I feel like the arc that JJ was trying to weave, so I’m comfortable with his release,” Boyega said of his character. “And I’ve been enjoying The Mandalorian and Obi-Wan Kenobi as a fan ever since. I enjoy the balance of all things.”

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