Whilst promoting his current film, Pacific Rim Uprising, John Boyega talked to Sky News about how Star Wars allowed him to invest in himself and create his own company UpperRoom Entertainment.
Boyega told Sky News it was getting the role in Star Wars that allowed him to achieve his dream of producing.
“I always wanted to set up my company but I didn’t because I didn’t have the funds for it,” he said.
“So I waited until that Star Wars cheque cleared and a debt was paid – various T-Mobile phone bills – I waited for that to be cleared until I re-invested in myself.”
Boyega said he did his homework before putting the cash in, but still learnt a lot from his experiences as a producer.
“Before any real money gets in to a situation [it’s] best you know about it, but I’m still learning as I go along, knowing that there are different ways of doing things and communicating,” he said.
“Each producer has their different style, some are involved more than others, just learning how the different dynamics work for me has been the surprising thing.”
For Boyega, having his own company has also allowed him to have an impact on how things are run.
For him, tackling a lack of diversity should not be a conversation, but something that is already happening.
“That’s why I set up my own production company, making sure you have an influence on casting and several different things – trying to make sure it’s not just a conversation, it’s also actions, real work,” Boyega said.
“The aim is to work to a point where it doesn’t have to be this much of a big thing or a big conversation, we should be able to watch things that reflect our world, that have much more interesting choices, and more diverse choices for casting, without it being a debate.
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