During an appearance in the new documentary Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood, John Boyega has railed against fans of the Star Wars saga who can’t accept diverse casting.
“Lemme tell ya, Star Wars always had the vibe of being in the most whitest, elite space,” Boyega said. “It’s a franchise that’s so white that a Black person existing in [it] was something.”
Boyega went on to explain the inherent problems with the Star Wars films (and fans) making a big deal out of the incredibly small handful of Black characters. “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!”
The They Cloned Tyrone star went on to criticize certain fans’ inability to accept Black actors in leading roles. “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!'”
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Image: JC Olivera/Variety via Getty
