RISING UP
Fresh off his star turn in ‘Star Wars,’ John Boyega diversifies his career — and battles monsters in ‘Pacific Rim’ sequel
BETWEEN “Star Wars” and his new movie “Pacific Rim Uprising,” John Boyega has spent considerable time acting alongside things that don’t exist — creatures and places that digital magic will add later in post-production. Boyega tells The Post that doing that successfully is all about imagination, something he developed from growing up too poor to afford the toys he wanted.
“Imagination was all you had sometimes,” he says, recalling his time spent playing “volcano,” the game of jumping between sofas to avoid the “lava” on the living room floor. “So, for me, this is just a part of expanding on that when you’re on set. You have to be childlike and lose a sense of self in order to portray a reality that’s obviously very, very different to your own.”
Born to Nigerian immigrants, Boyega had a humble beginning in South London’s Peckham neighborhood. Now 26, he’s a star of one of the biggest series in cinematic history, “Star Wars,” and he’s adding another franchise to his résumé with the release of “Pacific Rim Uprising,” in theaters Friday.
The sequel begins 10 years after the events of Guillermo del Toro’s original flick, in which enormous alien-monsters called Kaiju attacked Earth, but were ultimately defeated by humans piloting giant robots called Jaegers. The original movie starred Charlie Hunnam and Idris Elba (whose character
heroically dies), but Boyega leads the new movie as the latter’s son, Jake Pentecost. As the Kaiju return, now stronger than ever, it’s up to Jake and a youthful team of Jaeger pilots to save humanity once more.
Boyega was drawn to the idea of young people joining together to face seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
“I think the best sci-fi has social commentary, and social commentary is very, very important to me,” he says. “But at that same time, I just wanted to see big robots and big monsters combat and destroy cities. I can’t lie.”
The movie also marks Boyega’s first outing as a producer. It’s a savvy move for a young actor currently having a hot moment to set up his own production company and lay the groundwork for career longevity.
“There’s been a lot of discussion about diversity and inclusion,” he says. “And it was me kick-starting a way in which I could be part of that change to become one of the decision makers rather than somebody just staying as an actor for hire.”
Of course, being an actor for hire has worked out pretty well for him, too. Starring as Finn in the current “Star Wars” trilogy has made him a household name. But the passionate fan base for the franchise can have its drawbacks.
The most recent “Star Wars” movie, December’s “The Last Jedi,” was the highest-grossing movie of 2017, but fans were divided over its merits, with the film’s tone and progressivism frequent subjects of debate. Although the movie was certified fresh by critics on the reviewaggregating site Rotten Tomatoes, its audience score currently sits at a 48 percent approval rating. But Boyega embraces the chatter.
“I definitely think this time it felt like there was a difference [compared to the response to] ‘Force Awakens.’ It was much more of a discussion, but I didn’t mind that,” he says. “It’s a film. It should be discussed. It’s relevant. It is what it is.”
Boyega says his “Star Wars” and “Pacific Rim” characters don’t have much in common except for having to wear bulky, futuristic suits: Jake while piloting a Jaeger, and Finn while still a Stormtrooper. Luckily, the flexibility of Jake’s suit made it much easier to wear.
“I can confirm that it’s actually better than the Stormtrooper outfit. I don’t think anything can be as uncomfortable as that,” he says, laughing. “No chafing this time for me, which is fantastic.”