John Boyega says he’s ‘moved on’ from ‘Star Wars’ character

What might seem like big news to Star Wars fans is NBD to John Boyega. The actor, who was featured in three of the recent sequels (in addition to doing voice work for three Star Wars video games, an animated Star Wars series, and another live action role the 2019 short, Rise of the Resistance, made especially for the Galaxy’s Edge theme park ride) has confirmed that he’s left the character behind—and probably for good.Boyega played reluctant Resistance fighter and ex-Stormtrooper Finn, first seen in The Force Awakens. Believe it or not, that was all the way back in 2015, which means that the actor has been with the role for over half a decade. Understandably, he’s ready to move forward with something new but insists that fans shouldn’t read too much into his decision.

Isn’t that what people do when a role is done? Or .... it’s not that deep. https://t.co/3VabJQ1kdz

— John Boyega (@JohnBoyega) July 20, 2020

The subject of Star Wars initially came up when Boyega posted a COVID-conscious photo of himself on-set, sitting in the grooming chair in as much PPE as possible (as was the makeup artist working on him). After a fan asked if he was back at work for another installment in the Star Wars canon, Boyega replied “lol no thank you. I’ve moved on,” followed by a heart emoji to clarify that there are no hard feelings.

 

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Back on set ! Have a nice day everyone ❤️

A post shared by John Boyega (@johnboyega) on Jul 17, 2020 at 4:05am PDT

Boyega's decision about moving on is about moving forward. “Not into playing one role for too long. I have more to offer than that. That’s all,” he told a fan who joked that he had cashed a couple of big Disney cheques and then checked out.[video_embed id='-1']RELATED: John Boyega wants to bring more African stories to the mainstream[/video_embed]When the conversation migrated over to Twitter, Boyega said that he was grateful for the opportunity the beloved franchise had given him but felt that “you should close the door for a long time if anything. Key word is versatility. One role cannot fulfill that. Lol let me do my job and you lot just watch please. The lines are too blurred.”For an actor, especially one who’s made a name for himself on the world stage in a genre movie like Star Wars, the danger of being typecast or being creatively stunted is totally valid.But Boyega won’t be leaving the sci-fi universe behind completely. One of his upcoming projects, the action thriller Borderland, also features fellow Star Wars alum, Felicity Jones, in addition to new mom Jodie Turner-Smith.Boyega made headlines last month when he delivered an emotional speech during a Black Lives Matter rally and admitted that he didn't know if taking a vocal stance against anti-Black racism would affect his career but had decided that "now is the time." Clearly Hollywood is still very much in the Boyega business.

 

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We stand with and support you, @johnboyega. View his full speech at link in bio.

A post shared by Star Wars (@starwars) on Jun 3, 2020 at 4:03pm PDT

In terms of a role he would return to, Boyega gave a shout-out to his character from 2011’s Attack The Block. “I haven’t played Moses in over a decade,” he wrote. “I’d love to revisit him. Now he is a BADASS.”[video_embed id='1991285']BEFORE YOU GO: Tom Hanks has a blunt message for people who don't wear a mask[/video_embed]