Before his rise to fame as Finn in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, John Boyega only had a handful of notable credits to his name (Becoming Human, 24: Live Another Day, and Attack the Block) and now Boyega is forging ahead with a thriving and promising career. But how much do you know about John Boyega?
We have compiled a list of five facts about John Boyega that you may not have known!
1. John Boyega bought his parents a house
Any child who has a good relationship with their parents has probably imagined being able to do something for their parents that repays them for everything they have done for them growing up. But John Boyega was able to turn that dream into a reality when he surprised his parents with a brand new home.
Last year, Boyega shared a throwback on Instagram to 2017 when he tricked his parents into believing they were being interviewed at a fancy London property. As the “interview” progressed he revealed to his parents that they weren’t actually there for an interview. In an emotional moment, Boyega explained to them that, “On behalf of myself I’d like to say thank you for everything that you’ve done, and I decided to do a secret project for a few months, and I’m here to tell you that there was no interview, that was a lie. This is your house that I am presenting to you.” Cue the tears.
During an interview with Jimmy Fallon the following year, Boyega elaborated on the experience and revealed that not only did he buy his parents a house, but he bought them a brand new Jaguar as well.
2. John Boyega is a Golden Globe Award Winner
John Boyega wins the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Television Series at the #GoldenGlobes. pic.twitter.com/46uEvYMqWx
— Golden Globe Awards (@goldenglobes) March 1, 2021
During his time within the Star Wars franchise, Boyega received a number of nominations from the MTV Movie Awards and the Teen Choice Awards, and he even received several critic’s choice nominations. In 2016, he was awarded the coveted BAFTA Rising Star Award, but it wasn’t until this award season that saw him nominated for a Golden Globe Award. And it was a nomination that he won!
Boyega was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Supporting Role for his work in Amazon Studio’s Small Axe. Boyega gave an unforgettable performance as Leroy Logan, a man who walked away from a promising career as a scientist to fight against the institutionalized racism from within the British police force.
In his acceptance award, he thanked the real-life man behind his role: “Thank you Leroy Logan for your work and for what you have done for young people in the UK. London, stand up.”
3. John Boyega lost his script
You have probably heard this story. As soon as rumors got out about someone in the cast of The Rise of Skywalker losing their script, everyone started speculating about who it could have been. Eventually, John Boyega admitted that he was the castmember who accidentally left his script behind for a cleaner to find. But that wasn’t all that happened.
In an interview with Jimmy Fallon, Boyega explained the nerve-wracking situation surrounding the missing script. “I received a call from my agent saying, ‘Mate, I’ve just received a call from Disney and all the big gods of the movie industry that you work for, that your livelihood comes from, saying that you lost the most powerful script in Hollywood right now.” As it turns out, the cleaner didn’t just keep the script for themselves — they put it up for sale on eBay!
Luckily for Boyega and Star Wars, the powers-that-be at Disney bought the script back and the crisis was averted. At least everyone can laugh about it now! It’s a mistake that happens more often than you might believe.
4. John Boyega loves anime
It should come as no surprise that actors have hidden passions for different film genres or TV series, but Boyega has never really hidden his love for anime. During his episode of Hot Ones, Boyega discussed why he thinks anime has had such an international appeal. “I think because of its long-form format, it lasts for ages. You take something like Naruto for example. You literally watch a character grow up day-by-day, and then there are filler episodes that give you […] clarity on the world surrounding the leads, or the several different leads in the anime. And it’s just the way they tell stories.”
Later on, Boyega is asked which series he would recommend, “I would say Attack on Titan, I’d definitely say Naruto and One-Punch Man.”
If you’ve never watched an episode of Hot Ones, you won’t want to miss it! Essentially actors have to continue answering questions as they consume increasingly spicier chicken wings.
5. John Boyega uses his platform for social justice
In 2020, John Boyega took the streets and joined the Black Lives Matter protests in London. At the event, he took the megaphone and passionately spoke to the crowd of onlookers for nearly five minutes. During the speech, he also noted the risks he took by speaking on his beliefs, “I don’t know if I’m going to have a career after this.” Fortunately, high-profile directors rallied around him and offered their support including Oscar-winning Jordan Peele and the creator of Black Mirror.
Since The Rise of Skywalker premiered, Boyega has been more open about the issue of racism. Last year he revealed in interviews with The Hollywood Reporter and GQ that he had had discussions with Disney about how his character had been handled within the franchise and has been open about how he was treated as a person.
These are very difficult, but vital, conversations that have to be had and he’s using his platform to pave the way for future generations to be met with better treatment in the industry.
For more Star Wars facts, keep up with the Star Wars Actors category on Dork Side of the Force.