John Boyega, who played Finn in all three Star Wars sequel trilogy films,
has recently voiced his frustration
on the way his and other characters were treated in the Disney-produced movies.
The crux of Boyega’s argument is that some characters in these films, mainly those portrayed by actors of color, were “pushed to the side” while the nuance and character development was given to lead actors Daisey Ridley (Rey) and Adam Driver (Kylo Ren).
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John Boyega has made no secret of his disappointment with the way the situation with the latter two sequel films were handled with regards to Finn and Rose Tico (played by actress Kelly Marie Tran).
NEWS
Boyega spoke with Yahoo! Entertainment
about a piece of concept art from Colin Trevorrow’s unused version of the ninth and final film in Star Wars’ “Skywalker Saga”
as shared by Collider’s Steve Weintraub.
View this post on Instagram
Concept art from #colintrevorrow's #episode9
A post shared by
Steve Weintraub
(@colliderfrosty) on
Jun 3, 2020 at 5:52pm PDT
Boyega says on the matter:
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“I think Colin Trevorrow was going to tell that story. That image of Finn with the blue flag, and you have the AT-ATs lined up with tribal marks, and the stormtroopers take off their helmets. That would have been sick! That would have been dope, man, hands down.”
He further elaborated on his disappointment with Finn’s role in
The Rise of Skywalker
and why he spoke out about it in recent months:
“I felt it was important for me to talk about a truth that is embarrassing to talk about. We all know that what makes roles so lucrative [are] the moments you give them. If Captain America isn’t given the scenes to boost his representation, and to make him enjoyable for you guys, we won’t think he’s cool. Why shouldn’t Black characters and Black actors also fight for that same kind of representation? I think it’s a done deal with that.”
WHAT THIS MEANS
John Boyega is far from the first
Star Wars
actor to express their issues with the sequel trilogy and Disney’s supposed handling thereof. Mark Hamill has gone as far as to say he didn’t look at his character in
The Last Jedi
as Luke Skywalker due to the way the character was portrayed in that film.
And Oscar Isaac is certainly in no hurry to return to the franchise.
But back to Finn, and Boyega. The above concept art, which sees Finn triumphantly holding a flag while Poe Dameron, Rose Tico and Chewbacca rally behind him, presents a kind of “hero moment” that the actor feels was missing from the film.
ADVERTISEMENT
It’s hard to argue that Finn’s overall role and involvement in the main story didn’t dimish film after film. Not to mention that the reception of these sequel films among
Star Wars
fans has been nothing short of divisive.
Perhaps if Disney and Lucasfilm more evenly portioned out story beats amongst the characters, they would have found themselves with more of a critical hit on thier hands.
It’s nearly impossible to say how these films will be viewed over time. After all, the once-much-maligned Star Wars prequel trilogy has found itself in the good graces of many fans in the past few years. Maybe in 10 or 15 years, the harsh reactions to
The Last Jedi
and
The Rise of Skywalker
will have softened a bit. The amount of screentime and prominence each character was given, however, will remain unchanged.
ADVERTISEMENT
John Boyega, who played Finn in all three Star Wars sequel trilogy films,
has recently voiced his frustration
on the way his and other characters were treated in the Disney-produced movies.
The crux of Boyega’s argument is that some characters in these films, mainly those portrayed by actors of color, were “pushed to the side” while the nuance and character development was given to lead actors Daisey Ridley (Rey) and Adam Driver (Kylo Ren).
ADVERTISEMENT
John Boyega has made no secret of his disappointment with the way the situation with the latter two sequel films were handled with regards to Finn and Rose Tico (played by actress Kelly Marie Tran).
NEWS
Boyega spoke with Yahoo! Entertainment
about a piece of concept art from Colin Trevorrow’s unused version of the ninth and final film in Star Wars’ “Skywalker Saga”
as shared by Collider’s Steve Weintraub.
View this post on Instagram
Concept art from #colintrevorrow's #episode9
A post shared by
Steve Weintraub
(@colliderfrosty) on
Jun 3, 2020 at 5:52pm PDT
Boyega says on the matter:
View this post on Instagram
Concept art from #colintrevorrow's #episode9
A post shared by
Steve Weintraub
(@colliderfrosty) on
Jun 3, 2020 at 5:52pm PDT
View this post on Instagram
Concept art from #colintrevorrow's #episode9
A post shared by
Steve Weintraub
(@colliderfrosty) on
Jun 3, 2020 at 5:52pm PDT
View this post on Instagram
Concept art from #colintrevorrow's #episode9
A post shared by
Steve Weintraub
(@colliderfrosty) on
Jun 3, 2020 at 5:52pm PDT
View this post on Instagram
Concept art from #colintrevorrow's #episode9
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by
Steve Weintraub
(@colliderfrosty) on
Jun 3, 2020 at 5:52pm PDT
He further elaborated on his disappointment with Finn’s role in
The Rise of Skywalker
and why he spoke out about it in recent months:
“I think Colin Trevorrow was going to tell that story. That image of Finn with the blue flag, and you have the AT-ATs lined up with tribal marks, and the stormtroopers take off their helmets. That would have been sick! That would have been dope, man, hands down.”
WHAT THIS MEANS
John Boyega is far from the first
Star Wars
actor to express their issues with the sequel trilogy and Disney’s supposed handling thereof. Mark Hamill has gone as far as to say he didn’t look at his character in
The Last Jedi
as Luke Skywalker due to the way the character was portrayed in that film.
And Oscar Isaac is certainly in no hurry to return to the franchise.
“I felt it was important for me to talk about a truth that is embarrassing to talk about. We all know that what makes roles so lucrative [are] the moments you give them. If Captain America isn’t given the scenes to boost his representation, and to make him enjoyable for you guys, we won’t think he’s cool. Why shouldn’t Black characters and Black actors also fight for that same kind of representation? I think it’s a done deal with that.”
But back to Finn, and Boyega. The above concept art, which sees Finn triumphantly holding a flag while Poe Dameron, Rose Tico and Chewbacca rally behind him, presents a kind of “hero moment” that the actor feels was missing from the film.
It’s hard to argue that Finn’s overall role and involvement in the main story didn’t dimish film after film. Not to mention that the reception of these sequel films among
Star Wars
fans has been nothing short of divisive.
Perhaps if Disney and Lucasfilm more evenly portioned out story beats amongst the characters, they would have found themselves with more of a critical hit on thier hands.
It’s nearly impossible to say how these films will be viewed over time. After all, the once-much-maligned Star Wars prequel trilogy has found itself in the good graces of many fans in the past few years. Maybe in 10 or 15 years, the harsh reactions to
The Last Jedi
and
The Rise of Skywalker
will have softened a bit. The amount of screentime and prominence each character was given, however, will remain unchanged.
