Lucasfilm Expresses Their Support For John Boyega After His Impassioned Protest Speech
During an impassioned speech at a Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality in London, Star Wars actor John Boyega worried that he might never work in the film industry again after speaking out against racism and police brutality, but just hours after his speech, Lucasfilm let him know he had nothing to worry about, Deadline reported.
Boyega has been very vocal on social media about his support for Black Lives Matter and other anti-racist organizations since the death of George Floyd on Memorial Day. On Wednesday, Boyega joined a Black Lives Matter protest in London’s Hyde Park and spoke to the crowd about how important it is to speak up and stand up against racism, no matter what the cost, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“Black lives have always mattered. We have always been important, we have always meant something, we have always succeeded regardless, and now is the time. … I ain’t waiting,” Boyega said, holding back tears.
“I need you to understand how painful this s**t is. I need you to understand how painful it is to be reminded every day that your race means nothing, and that isn’t the case anymore… I’m speaking to you from the heart. I don’t know if I’m going to have a career after this, but f**k that.”
Boyega listed the names of several black men and women who have been killed by police in both the U.S. and the U.K. and then reiterated the fact that the racism behind these incidents has to be stopped, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Just a few hours after his speech, a tweet was posted to the official Star Wars account where Lucasfilm voiced their unwavering support for Boyega. They called Boyega a “hero” for using his platform to speak out.
We stand with and support you, @JohnBoyega. View his full speech: https://t.co/Goxb5y2wrK pic.twitter.com/ZvE0t5tRPY
— Star Wars | #TheMandalorian is Now Streaming (@starwars) June 3, 2020
Several directors also took to Twitter and voiced their support for Boyega and promised him that he would always have a job in the film industry, ScreenRant reported. Get Out and Us director Jordan Peele tweeted that he would always have Boyega’s back. Matthew A. Cherry, an independent filmmaker and executive at Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions, tweeted his support for Boyega and asked other filmmakers — especially white filmmakers — to affirm that they would also work with Boyega in the future.
According to ScreenRant, several filmmakers retweeted Cherry’s tweet and confirmed that they would love to work with Boyega. The majority of them expressed that they would not only be willing to work with him, they’d be honored to work with him. Many also expressed how proud they were of Boyega for speaking up and speaking out against racism.
So, it looks like Boyega won’t have any trouble finding his next gig.
