'Star Wars' Actor John Boyega Calls Franchise 'So White'

John Boyega, who played Finn in the latest "Star Wars" trilogy, criticized the franchise for being too "white" in a new documentary about black actors in Hollywood.

"Lemme tell ya, ‘Star Wars’ always had the vibe of being in the most whitest, elite space. It’s a franchise that’s so white that a black person existing in [it] was something," Boyega said in the AppleTV+ documentary "Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood."

"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!’ It’s like telling me how many cookie chips are in the cookie dough. It’s like, they just scattered that in there, bro!"

Is that so?

Specifically, Boyega claims that "Star Wars" fans draw the line when black actors are cast in lead roles. 

"They’re okay 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 said.

HOLLYWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 14:  Actor John Boyega attends the premiere of Walt Disney Pictures and Lucasfilm's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" on December 14th, 2015 in Hollywood, California.  (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

But it's not just the fans of "Star Wars" who Boyega has taken issue with. In a 2020 interview with GQ Magazine, he also accused Disney of a racial bias after diminishing his character in the third film of the trilogy, 2019's "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."

He continued, "You guys knew what to do with Daisy Ridley, you knew what to do with Adam Driver," Boyega continued. "But when it came to Kelly Marie Tran, when it came to John Boyega, you know fuck all. So what do you want me to say? What they want you to say is, ‘I enjoyed being a part of it. It was a great experience…’ Nah, nah, nah. I’ll take that deal when it’s a great experience. They gave all the nuance to Adam Driver, all the nuance to Daisy Ridley. Let’s be honest. Daisy knows this. Adam knows this. Everybody knows. I’m not exposing anything."

Boyega sure is bitter over a film franchise and fan base that single-handedly put him on the map.

TOKYO, JAPAN - DECEMBER 10:  (L-R)  Actor John Boyega, actress Daisy Ridley, director J.J. Abrams and actor Adam Driver attend the fan event for 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' at Roppongi Hills on December 10, 2015 in Tokyo, Japan.  (Photo by Jun Sato/WireImage)

Still, you can only blame Boyega so much for his whining. It was Apple that decided to release a documentary in 2025 about race in Hollywood, knowing it would lead to underachieving actors blaming racism for their shortcomings.

It's no wonder Apple is reportedly losing $1 billion a year on its streaming service. Documentaries about race cost money to produce and are not very popular.

But before Disney wastes any resources addressing Boyega's grievances, we suggest the studio first focus on holding the people responsible for the new "Snow White" accountable for their actions. 

As of publication, "Snow White" is on pace to lose $115 million and to be one of the biggest box office bombs in studio history.

Anyway, has Disney ever thought about remaking "101 Dalmatians" with dogs of color?