John Boyega is British actor who is famous for starring in the third Star Wars trilogy of movies. Boyega made his first appearance as ex-First Order Stormtrooper FN-2187, later named Finn, in 2015’s The Force Awakens. His first acting job happened when he was just nine-years-old, but Boyega’s big break came in the 2011 sci-fi action movie Attack the Block.
Born in London, England, Boyega is of Nigerian descent. His full birth name is John Adedayo B. Adegboyega.
John’s father is, Samuel, is a Pentecostal minister. His mother’s name is Abigail.
The Boyegas lived in a council estate in Peckham, England, a lower-class neighborhood prone to incidents of violence and crime. While enrolled in his primary school, Boyega’s parents saw their son’s natural instincts for acting begin to shine. They applied for and received money from a hardship fund which allowed John to join a theatre school program for talented youth. (1)
Boyega’s dad wanted John to become a Penetecostal preacher like himself. At first John’s father didn’t like his son pursuing acting but eventually came around to accepting it.
“As long as John stayed out of trouble they were quite happy. And as John made his way, his father began to think there was some wisdom in it,” said Teresa Early, John Boyega’s acting teacher in primary school.
Because of his upbringing in the Pentecostal faith, we’re assuming that John also follows the faith as an adult.
As a citizen of England, John Boyega would only be allowed to vote for his country’s political candidates. However, John has aired his personal thoughts about politics in America.
As an example, John doesn’t have any love for American President Donald Trump and he’s said as much several times.
Absolute prick. https://t.co/f4uDKG5Crs
— John Boyega (@JohnBoyega) October 13, 2016
Since the introduction of Boyega’s character, some Star Wars fans have wondered if there were hints of a same sex romance between Finn and the character that Oscar Issac plays, Poe Dameron. Boyega has come right out and said that he played his scenes with that idea in mind.
“I think it’s very subtle romance that’s happening,” the actor said. “You know, you have to just look very close… you have to watch it a few times to see the little hints. But there was… I was playing a romance.” (2)
Boyega has been supportive and critical of having more visible minority actors on-screen. While promoting his movie Detroit, which focused on racial tensions in the 1970s, Boyega was asked a question about black characters in fantasy films.
“There are no black people on Game of Thrones. You don’t see one black person in Lord of the Rings,” John answered. “I ain’t paying money to always see one type of person on-screen. Because you see different people from different backgrounds, different cultures, every day. Even if you’re a racist, you have to live with that. We can ruffle up some feathers.” (3)
Boyega has also had to issue an apology after another of his statements upset some folk. While accepting an Screen Nation award John said, “To complain about what is going on is not going to benefit us.”
This caused critics to say that Boyega was not being humble or outright insensitive to others who were more vocal about seeing more diverse faces on the screen. Boyega wrote an apology soon after.
“I was full of emotion receiving the award and just wanted to say that there was work to be done,” John Boyega said. “I’m not in this position without the people that champion me. I was in Peckham struggling not too long ago. I’m not above anyone.” (4)
Sources:
2: Pink News
3: GQ