John Boyega reveals he’s met with Disney following his criticism of Lucasfilm

John Boyega has revealed an update to his story after speaking up against his character’s treatment in Star Wars.

Back in September, Star Wars actor John Boyega opened up about his experience working with Disney and Lucasfilm in the sequel series of the Skywalker saga. His experience, to say the least, wasn’t as pleasant as he had hoped. And he stated that his character, Finn, including other characters of color, hadn’t gotten the same kind of treatment as their peers. And from there, he made it quite clear that he was done with Star Wars for the time being.

Now, in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Boyega is offering up a bit of good news. According to him, following his outspoken interview with GQ in September, he’s since met with Disney to discuss his thoughts about the situation. As Boyega’s said, he had “a very honest [and] a very transparent conversation” after being contacted by a Disney executive.

Additionally, he told The Hollywood Reporter: 

"There was a lot of explaining on their end in terms of the way they saw things. They gave me a chance also to explain what my experience was like. I’d hope that me being so open with my career, at this stage, would help the next man, the guy that wants to be the assistant DOP, the guy that wants to be a producer. I hope that the conversation is not such a taboo or elephant in the room now, because someone just came and said it."

For Boyega’s case, it’s unfortunate that Disney listened to him after the saga had been complete. As Boyega pointed out in a past interview, for example, he was hoping that his character would get the chance to be the real hero that Episode VII was beginning to bill him as. He revealed that the script for the scrapped Colin Trevorrow Episode IX featured a storyline for Finn that he could get behind. It was one where the characters (aside from Rey) went to lead a rebellion against the First Order. Compared to the low-stakes narrative he followed in The Last Jedi, that would have been an excellent storyline for Finn, Rose, and Poe. But instead, the characters’ storylines became something of an afterthought in The Rise of Skywalker.

Boyega also previously stated that he was not looking to return to Star Wars, but there were a few conditions. For one, if Daisy Ridley and Oscar Isaac were to return, he would return as well. He also seemed to be in favor of returning for an animated series too. (Though he missed the window to voice his character in the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special.)

Overall, while it’s unfortunate that these conversations happened so late, as Boyega mentioned, hopefully those talks will help the next generation of creatives to feel included. And if anything, with Boyega still open to returning to Star Wars somehow, hopefully this means Finn can get a true redeeming moment in the future.

For more news, keep up with the Star Wars Actors category on Dork Side of the Force.