John Boyega criticizes Star Wars franchise recalling racist backlash

John Boyega has criticized the Star Wars franchise while recalling the racist backlash he faced after being cast in the iconic saga. 

During an appearance in the new two-part AppleTV+ documentary, Number One on the Call Sheet, the 33-year-old actor said that the franchise is "so White that it's like, a Black person existing in [it] was something."

 "Star Wars always had the vibe of being in the most whitest, elite space,"  continued the British star, who recently revealed his role was "sidelined" for white co-stars Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver.

“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!"' added the Attack The Block actor.

For those unversed, John made his debut as Finn in 2015's The Force Awakens and then reprised his role in its two sequels, The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker.

During the interview, the Breaking star claimed that his white co-stars, Driver and Ridley, were given more complex characters than himself.

“Like, you guys knew what to do with Daisy Ridley, you knew what to do with Adam Driver,” said John. "You knew what to do with these other people, but when it came to Kelly Marie Tran, when it came to John Boyega, you know f**k all."

He further said, “So what do you want me to say? What they want you to say is, "I enjoyed being a part of it. It was a great experience…" Nah, nah, nah. I'll take that deal when it's a great experience.”

“They gave all the nuance to Adam Driver, all the nuance to Daisy Ridley. Let's be honest. Daisy knows this. Adam knows this. Everybody knows,” added John. “I'm not exposing anything.”