How John Boyega went from Star Wars to sci-fi producer
John Boyega, 25, arrived at the sleek photo studio in the Camden section of London like a movie star: over an hour late; with an entourage of four including a stylist, groomer and groomer’s assistant; and dressed head to toe in designer clothes. And he brought jokes. “I think this is the official look of humility,” he said of his conservative outfit, which included a brown suede Zegna jacket, black Ksubi denim pants, a white Brioni sweater, a white Versace shirt and dark tan Chelsea boots by Christian Louboutin.
“This is how I’m going to dress when I’m 50 years old — as a dad,” he said, as he posed for a portrait on a gray winter Sunday.
But Boyega has become a sought-after figure on the style circuit. He sits in the front row at collections for Burberry, which has dressed him for many public appearances, and he was leaving the next day to attend a Moncler presentation to kick off Milan Fashion Week. It’s a schedule that befits his new status in Hollywood, and beyond.
Since his 2015 debut as Finn, a major new character in StarWars: The Force Awakens, this cheeky Londoner has used his charm and talent to become a global celebrity. In addition to his work in Star Wars, he has played serious roles in films including Detroit (earning him a comparison to “a young Sidney Poitier” in TheWashington Post), and in the theatre, at London’s Old Vic.
Now, he is at the forefront of what he describes as a “movement” of young British actors, many from African backgrounds, who are becoming household names. And this month, he becomes the face of a second sci-fi franchise, with the opening of Pacific Rim: Uprising, a monster film with giant robots, which he also produced.
In person, Boyega is built like a bullet and is seemingly always in motion. Handsome and selfassured, he bears a resemblance to a younger Denzel Washington and exhibits the same antic humour as Kevin Hart. His mix of onscreen talent and offscreen ambition, as a producer, has drawn admiration from old hands in the industry. Harrison Ford, his Star Wars co-star, described Boyega as being “bold, confident and complicated, with intelligent ideas.”
Boyega seemed pleased by the description, and reiterated that the two are “best friends,” a shtick he often uses in interviews, spawning countless memes and news articles about their “Star Wars bromance,” as Mashable put it.
Ford politely debunked the hype around the friendship (“I hardly know the man,” he said, wryly), but he did manage to impart a few lessons in A-list attitude. During a publicity shoot involving both men and Daisy Ridley, who portrays the film’s heroine, the photographer asked Boyega to step to the side so Ford could have the centre position.
“Harrison was just like, ‘See that, kid? I’m the star,’” said Boyega, doing an impression of Ford that sounded like the gravelly voice-overs heard in Hollywood trailers. “And I said to him, ‘Yeah, mate, you ain’t going to be the star when you get stabbed by Kylo Ren,’” referring to the villain who kills off his character, Han Solo, with a light saber.
So, did Ford feel that he was passing the Star Wars baton to Boyega with his departure from the series?
“I don’t know that I thought of it that way at all,” Ford said, sounding very much like Boyega’s impression. “I was there to die. And I didn’t really give a rat’s ass who got my sword.”
Boyega’s parents are Nigerian immigrants, and he grew up in Peckham, a modest neighbourhood of South London. His father is a Pentecostal minister, and Boyega remains religious.