Black Lives Matter: John Boyega ‘knew directors might not cast him’ after London protest speech
Written by News on 10/11/2020
John Boyega thought directors may have chosen not to cast him after he spoke out about the Black Lives Matter movement, the actor has said.
The 28-year-old gave an emotional speech referencing his own experiences of racism and the death of George Floyd in the US during BLM protests in London in June.
But the star claims he was aware it may have compromised future work, saying some directors may have felt it caused “too much friction”.
He told Radio Times: “When I was expressing my truth, in my anger, I was like, everyone’s going to see this.
“I said that, knowing there are helicopters above me.
“You know that moment is going to go global and if I don’t get cast because people or casting directors feel like it’s too much friction for what they’re trying to do… it is what it is.”
At the time, he said: “Look, I don’t know if I’m going to have a career after this, but f*** that.”
Asked if his management knew he was going to address protesters in London, he replied: “You don’t know me, man. No advisers. No PR people. It was just me in that moment.
“It was just the intensity of the time and what was bubbling in our global community. To speak out wasn’t a strategic move. It just happened, really.”
Boyega, who grew up in Peckham, south London, and achieved worldwide fame after he appeared in Star Wars, also revealed he and his father have both been stopped by police.
“I’ve been stopped and searched. And my dad, who was a Pentecostal minister, got stopped on the way back from church. I was little,” he said.
“Everybody knows, especially if you grew up in Peckham, somebody who’s gone through the darkest scenarios with the police. I do. I know a few people.”
As well as his role in Star Wars, Boyega played Leroy Logan in Sir Steve McQueen’s series Small Axe.
Mr Logan is a retired Metropolitan Police officer who campaigned against racism and was awarded an MBE in 2001, retiring in 2013 after 30 years of service.
(c) Sky News 2020: Black Lives Matter: John Boyega ‘knew directors might not cast him’ after London protest speech
