John Boyega Calls Out ‘Star Wars’ Fans Who Attack Black Actors

John Boyega isn't holding back his issue with prejudice "Star Wars" fans show Black actors.

John Boyega is calling out Star Wars fans who seem to accept Black actors in supporting roles but take issue with them being cast as lead heroes.

The British film star appears in the new Apple TV+ documentary Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood, where he speaks on how “white” the Star Wars universe is and the backlash Black actors face when cast in the popular franchise.

“Lemme tell ya, Star Wars always had the vibe of being in the most whitest, elite space,” Boyega said, as captured by Entertainment Weekly. “It’s a franchise that’s so white that a Black person existing in [it] was something.”

The They Cloned Tyrone star shared his frustration with the Star Wars films (and fans) making a fuss over the few Black characters in the franchise. He criticized some fans for their unwillingness to accept Black actors in leading roles.

“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!'” Boyega 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!”

“They’re OK 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!'” he added.

Boyega has previously criticized the franchise for how it handled his character, who was initially positioned as a co-lead in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, only to have a diminished role in The Rise of Skywalker.

“What I would say to Disney is do not bring out a Black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are, and then have them pushed to the side. It’s not good,” he said in a 2020 interview with British GQ.

“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,” Boyega said, referencing Kelly Marie Tran, who portrayed Rose Tico in The Last Jedi, but faced intense prejudice after the film’s release in 2017.