Star Wars fans hit back after being branded ‘white’ and ‘elitist’ by John Boyega over ‘racist’ backlash to movie role
British actor John Boyega has criticised the Star Wars franchise for being “the whitest, elite space” in a new Apple TV+ documentary, reflecting on the racism he experienced after being cast.
The 33-year-old, who played former Stormtrooper Finn in the sequel trilogy beginning with 2015’s The Force Awakens, made the comments in Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood.
Boyega was “almost instantly targeted by bigoted online fans” after his casting was announced, according to reports.
His co-stars Daisy Ridley and Kelly Marie Tran also received abuse from fans who were angry with the inclusive casting choices.
“Lemme tell ya, Star Wars always had the vibe of being in the most whitest, elite space,” Boyega said in the documentary. “It’s a franchise that’s so white that a Black person existing in [it] was something.”
The actor criticised fans who point to limited Black representation in the franchise as sufficient.
“You can always tell it’s something when some Star Wars fans try to say, ‘Well, we had Lando Calrissian and had Samuel L Jackson!’,” he said.
“It’s like telling me how many cookie chips are in the cookie dough. It’s like, they just scattered that in there, bro!”
Boyega further explained that certain fans only accept Black actors in supporting roles, not as protagonists.
“They’re okay with us playing the best friend, but once we touch their heroes, once we lead, once we trailblaze, it’s like, ‘Oh my God, it’s just a bit too much! They’re pandering,'” he added.
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What’s terrible about this take is it is the complete opposite.
Star Wars fans WANTED him to take up a bigger role, and work his way into becoming a Jedi.
They completely shafted him for Rey’s bs story arc. His problem is with the fans and not the writers??
— Ankush sharma (@Aku_700) April 1, 2025
The actor suggested that when Black performers take centre stage rather than peripheral roles, they face heightened scrutiny and accusations that their inclusion is merely performative.
It’s not the first time Boyega has reflected negatively on his time in the franchise. In a 2020 interview with GQ magazine, Boyega had previously criticised Disney’s handling of diverse characters in the trilogy.
“What I would say to Disney is: do not bring out a Black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are and then have them pushed to the side. It’s not good. I’ll say it straight up,” he stated.
He specifically pointed out that white characters received more development than their diverse counterparts.
“You guys knew what to do with Daisy Ridley, you knew what to do with Adam Driver,” Boyega said. “But when it came to Kelly Marie Tran, when it came to John Boyega, you know f*** all.”
Following these comments, Boyega revealed a Disney executive reached out for “a very honest, transparent conversation”.
Boyega is not alone in speaking out against racist backlash from the franchise’s fanbase, with the aforementioned Tran and Amandla Stenberg, who starred in “The Acolyte”, also publicly addressing the furore.
However, after a clip of Boyega’s interview went viral on social media, several members of the Star Wars fandom hit back to defend their support of not just the films, but the actor himself.
“What’s terrible about this take is it is the complete opposite,” one X user wrote in response to the clip. “Star Wars fans WANTED him to take up a bigger role, and work his way into becoming a Jedi. They completely shafted him for Rey’s bs story arc. His problem is with the fans and not the writers??”
“Is this AI generated? Because every fan I know wished he had a bigger role in the film,” a second baffled fan asked before a third said: “We all defended him while they snubbed his character, but he calls us racist. Very classy John.”
Complaints kept on coming from a fourth who added: “What a way to turn fans off and cold in an instant. He made me a former fan in less than 3 seconds.”
But others backed the actor’s remarks, with one wading into the row: “Boyega’s calling out the truth… too many fans are quick to attack anyone who doesn’t fit their narrow view of Star Wars.” (sic)
Despite his criticisms, Boyega acknowledged in the documentary that Star Wars represented a pivotal moment in his career.
“The Force Awakens to me was a fundamental moment,” he said. “We waited months for that. When that big call came in, that’s that call that all those stars talk about that changed their life and stuff.”
The actor recalled breaking the rules by sharing his casting news with a taxi driver.
“I got in a taxi and told the driver. That was the first person I told… ‘Bro, I just got Star Wars!’ He was like, ‘Oh, yeah, congratulations mate. Great, that’ll be £45, please.'”