John Boyega’s life is about to be turned upside-down. Sure, Boyega already has his share of fame, but his star is about to be shot into a galaxy far, far away once Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theaters. The Hollywood Reporter recently sat down with Boyega to discuss his thoughts on Star Wars and his own career as he stands at the precipice of mega-stardom.
First off, did Boyega consider the impact Star Wars might have on his career when he accepted the role of Finn? The series has made careers (Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher), but it’s been a millstone around the neck of others (Hayden Christensen, poor sad Jake Lloyd). Turns out Boyega wasn’t really sweating it.
“None of it. I didn’t think of it. I am all about opportunity. I’m all about story. When J.J. signed on as director I was very much interested to come and read for him. It was just a matter of whether or not I could do the job, and apparently I could. For me, it’s just all about making sure that this is a really cool film. That Finn is the best character I can make him. In terms of it being a failure for some actors and all that stuff, it’s been a long time since the last Star Wars movie came out. I haven’t been scared with the risks and all that stuff. As an actor I wanted to do a great, great piece. As a fan as well.”
Of course, this being 2015, Boyega has had to deal with his share of ugliness from certain dank corners of the internet. There has been backlash to Boyega and Daisy Ridley playing prominent roles in The Force Awakens from folks who apparently have never heard of Lando Calrissian or Princess Leia. But whatevs, Boyega has the perfect burn for the bigoted #BoycottStarWars “movement”.
“The biggest movement so far is the fact that Star Wars probably beat Hunger Games in presales eight times over. So my question is, how is that little other agenda doing?”
Boyega answers more questions about his Star Wars fandom, and the number of lightsabers he’s smuggled off set (it’s a lot) in the full Hollywood Reporter interview. I suggest you read the whole thing at the link below.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)
