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John Boyega

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John Boyega
Boyega at the 2015San Diego Comic-Con
Born
John Adedayo Bamidele Adegboyega

(1992-03-17)17 March 1992(age 32)
London,England
Occupations
  • Actor
  • producer
Years active2011–present

John Adedayo Bamidele Adegboyega(born 17 March 1992), known professionally asJohn Boyega,is a British actor and producer. He first rose to prominence in Britain for his role as a teenage gang leader in the comedy horror filmAttack the Block(2011), and had his international breakthrough playingFinnin theStar Warssequel trilogyfilmsThe Force Awakens(2015),The Last Jedi(2017), andThe Rise of Skywalker(2019). He received theBAFTA Rising Star Awardin 2016, and theTrophée Chopardat the2016 Cannes Film Festival.

Boyega portrayedLeroy LoganinRed, White and Blue,as part ofSteve McQueen's anthology seriesSmall Axe(2020), for which he won aGolden Globe Award.[1]He has since starred in the historical action filmThe Woman King(2022) and the mystery filmThey Cloned Tyrone(2023).

Early life

Boyega was born in theCamberwelldistrict of London and grew up inPeckham.His parents, Abigail (a carer) and Samson Adegboyega (aPentecostalminister) are both ofYorubadescent.[2]He has two older sisters.[3]

His first acting role was playing a leopard in a play at Oliver Goldsmith Primary School.[4][5]While in another play there at age nine, he was noticed by Teresa Early, the artistic director ofTheatre Peckham,a learning theatre for young people who live in southLondon.He spent his time there outside school hours from ages nine to fourteen. There was a rumour that his father wanted Boyega to become a minister, but John denied this in an interview with Sam Sanders onFresh Air.He said that his father supported his theatrical interests.[6][7][8][9]John and his sister Grace were some of the last people to seeDamilola Tayloralive: they were friends of his and the Boyegas helped look after him.[10]

In 2003, Boyega began his secondary education atWestminster City School,where he was in various school productions.[11]From 2008 to 2010, he attendedSouth Thames Collegeat the college'sWandsworthcampus to study for aNational Diplomain Performing Arts.[12]His activities there included playing thetitle rolein the college's production ofOthello.[13]He enrolled at theUniversity of Greenwichto study for aBAin film studies and media writing,[14]but dropped out to focus on his acting career.[7]He trained with theIdentity School of Actingin London, and became a patron of itsLos Angelesbranch when it opened in 2018.[15]

Career

Sundance Film Festival,2014: John Boyega (2nd from the left) withJosh Wiggins,Kodi Smit-McPhee,and Sharon Swart (from left to right)

Boyega trained at theIdentity School of ActinginHackney,[16]and appeared inSix Partiesat theNational TheatreandCategory Bat theTricycle Theatreprior to being offered a role in the 2011 filmAttack the Block.[17][18]In September 2011,HBOannounced that Boyega had been cast in thebo xingdrama pilotDa Brick,loosely based onMike Tyson's life. Boyega was expected to play Donnie, who is released from ajuvenile detention centreon his 18th birthday and begins to examine what it means to be a man. The pilot, written byJohn Ridley,[19]was not picked up by HBO.[20]Also in 2011, Boyega acted in the filmJunkheartsas Jamal, a drug dealer who finds some guns and tries to sell them.

Boyega was chosen by Fionnuala Halligan of Screen International as one of the "UK Stars of Tomorrow 2011" and appeared with two other actors on the cover of the magazine's July 2011 edition.[21]In March 2012, he was cast in thefilm adaptationofChimamanda Ngozi Adichie's bookHalf of a Yellow Sun.[22]On 29 April 2014, it was confirmed that Boyega was cast as a major character inStar Wars: The Force Awakens.[23]It was later revealed that he would playFinn,astormtrooperfor theFirst Order,who, after witnessing their cruelty, leaves the military power and joins the fight against them. The film was released on 18 December 2015. The film and Boyega's performance was acclaimed from critics and audiences.[24][25]

In 2017, Boyega starred inDetroit,Kathryn Bigelow's film about the1967 Detroit riots,[26]and reprised his role as Finn inStar Wars: The Last Jedi.[27]

In January 2016, Boyega formed his own production company, UpperRoom Entertainment Limited. His company co-produced (withLegendary Entertainment[28]) 2018'sPacific Rim: Uprising,the sequel to the 2013 moviePacific Rim,in which he played the lead role of Jake Pentecost.[29]In 2019 he teased his new collaboration with Writer/DirectorSebastian Thiel,[30]with whom he is developing a series based on their childhood experiences, with Boyega producing.[31]In November 2018 it was announced that he would star withLetitia Wrightin a novel adaption ofHold Back the Stars.[32]He has also been cast inSteve McQueen's miniseriesSmall Axe.[33]

Boyega once again reprised his role as Finn inStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker(2019). In an interview onGood Morning America,he revealed that he had inadvertently left his script in a hotel room during filming. When it surfaced oneBay,it was bought by aLucasfilmemployee to prevent it from being leaked.[34]In response to atweetsuggesting he should play theDC ComicscharacterStaticin a live-action role, Boyega said he would be too old for the role, and that he would be interested in seeing a newcomer receive it. He did, however, express interest in playing the DC characterRed Hood.[35]

In the2020and2021editions of thePowerlist,Boyega was listed in the Top 100 of the most influential people in the UK of African/African-Caribbean descent.[36][37]He was cited as one of the Top 100 most influential Africans byNew Africanmagazine in 2020.[38]More recently, his production company UpperRoom made a first-look deal with VIS Kids.[39]While filming the Netflix filmRebel Ridge,he unexpectedly walked out mid-production due to family issues.[40]In 2022, Boyega was the lead in Abi Damaris Corbin's second feature film,Breaking,which premiered at the2022 Sundance Film Festivalunder its original title,892,[41]as well asGina Prince-Bythewood's historical epicThe Woman KingalongsideViola Davis,Thuso Mbedu,andLashana Lynch.[42]Boyega next starred inNetflix's science-fiction comedyThey Cloned Tyrone,playing the titular character and multiple other characters.[43]

In May 2021, it was announced that he would reteam withJoe Cornishin a sequel forAttack the Block.[44]

Activism and advocacy

A wax figure of Boyega atMadame Tussauds, London

Boyega showed solidarity[clarification needed]withGeorge Floyd,Sandra Bland,Trayvon Martin,andStephen Lawrenceduring a speech at aBlack Lives Matterrally inHyde Park, London.[45]His gesture was supported by a number of celebrities, andLucasfilmalso reiterated their support for Boyega and the Black Lives Matter movement.[46][47][48]

In a 2020 interview withBritish GQ,Boyega openly criticisedDisneyfor sidelining his characterFinnin theStar Warssequel trilogy:"[W]hat 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. It's not good. I'll say it straight up."[3][49][50]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2011 Attack the Block Moses
Junkhearts Jamal
2013 Half of a Yellow Sun Ugwu
2014 Imperial Dreams Bambi
2015 Star Wars: The Force Awakens FN-2187 / Finn
2017 The Circle Ty
Detroit Melvin Dismukes
Star Wars: The Last Jedi Finn
2018 Pacific Rim Uprising Jake Pentecost Also producer
2019 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Finn
2021 Naked Singularity Casi [51][52]
2022 Breaking Brian Brown-Easley Also producer
The Woman King King Ghezo
2023 They Cloned Tyrone Fontaine

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2011 Da Brick Donnie Pilot
Becoming Human Danny Curtis 4 episodes
Law & Order: UK Jamal Clarkson Episode: "Survivor's Guilt"
2012 My Murder Shakilus Townsend Television film
2013 The Whale William Bond
2014 24: Live Another Day Chris Tanner 4 episodes
2015 Major Lazer Blkmrkt Voice role; 10 episodes
Saturday Night Live Himself Segment: "Star Wars Auditions"
2016 Tinkershrimp & Dutch Dutch Voice role; 5 episodes[53]
2017–2018 Star Wars Forces of Destiny Finn Voice role; 2 episodes[54]
2018 Watership Down Bigwig Voice role; 4 episodes
2019 Serengeti Narrator Voice role; 5 episodes[55]
2020 Small Axe Leroy Logan Episode: "Red, White and Blue"
2023 World War II: From the Frontlines Narrator Voice Role; 6 episodes[56]

Stage

Year Title Role Theatre Ref.
2009 Six Parties Ben National Theatre,London [57]
Category B Reece Kiln Theatre,London [58]
Seize the Day Sam [59]
2009 Detaining Justice Guard / Passer-by [60]
2017 Woyzeck Woyzeck The Old Vic,London [citation needed]

Podcasts

Year Title Role Notes
2021 Tomorrow's Monsters Jack Locke Also producer

Video games

Year Title Role Notes
2015 Disney Infinity 3.0 Finn Voice
2016 Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens
2017 Star Wars Battlefront II

Theme park attractions

Year Title Role Notes
2015 Star Tours – The Adventures Continue Finn Scene added for seasonalSeason of the Forcepromotion
2019 Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Disney's Hollywood Studios
2020 Disneyland

Awards and recognition

Year Award Category Project Result Ref.
2011 Black Reel Award Best Actor Attack the Block Won
Best Breakthrough Performance Nominated
Best Ensemble Nominated
British Independent Film Awards Most Promising Newcomer Nominated
Empire Award Best Male Newcomer Nominated
Evening Standard British Film Awards Most Promising Newcomer Nominated
London Film Critics' Circle Young British Performer of the Year Nominated
2015 British Academy Film Award Rising Star Award Himself Won [61]
2015 Empire Award Best Male Newcomer Star Wars: The Force Awakens Won [62]
Georgia Film Critics Association Best Ensemble Nominated [63]
MTV Movie Awards Best Breakthrough Performance Nominated
Best Action Performance Nominated
Best Ensemble Nominated
Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Movie Actor Nominated [64]
Saturn Award Best Actor Nominated [65][66]
2017 Empire Award Best Actor Star Wars: The Last Jedi Nominated
Teen Choice Award Best Movie Actor – Sci-Fi/Fantasy Nominated
2020 Critics' Choice Television Award Best Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie Small Axe Won
Golden Globe Awards Best Supporting Actor – Television Won
London Film Critics' Circle British/Irish Actor of the Year Nominated
Satellite Awards Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Film Nominated

References

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  15. ^Wiseman, Andreas (20 September 2018)."John Boyega, Letitia Wright & Damson Idris Among Patrons Of New LA Drama School".Deadline.Retrieved16 December2019.
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  20. ^Jeffery, Morgan (14 March 2012)."'Da Brick': HBO passes on Mike Tyson bo xing drama – US TV News ".Digital Spy. Archived fromthe originalon 9 July 2012.Retrieved24 June2012.
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  22. ^Pearson, Ben (29 March 2012)."Attack the Block star John Boyega joins Half of a Yellow Sun".Filmonic. Archived fromthe originalon 28 May 2016.Retrieved24 June2012.
  23. ^"Star Wars: Episode VII Cast Announced".StarWars. 29 April 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 29 April 2014.Retrieved29 April2014.
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  26. ^"Twitter /?".twitter.Archived fromthe originalon 22 September 2016.Retrieved2 February2022.
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  28. ^@JohnBoyega (6 June 2016)."So happy! My company UpperRoom Productions founded by myself & @MrFemiOguns, will co-produce #PacificRim2 alongside @Legendary"(Tweet) – viaTwitter.
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  34. ^McCarthy, Kelly (27 November 2019)."Actor John Boyega admits 'Star Wars' script on eBay was his".Good Morning America.Retrieved1 December2019.
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  36. ^Mills, Kelly-Ann (25 October 2019)."Raheem Sterling joins Meghan and Stormzy in top 100 most influential black Brits".mirror.Retrieved20 April2020.
  37. ^Lavender, Jane (17 November 2020)."Lewis Hamilton ends incredible year top of influential Black Powerlist 2021".mirror.Retrieved19 January2021.
  38. ^"Kenyan Diaspora Madowo named among top 100 most influential Africans".Diaspora Messenger News Media.7 December 2020.Retrieved5 January2021.
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  40. ^Barton, Rebekah (5 June 2021)."'Star Wars' Actor Walks Out of Netflix Series Mid-Production ".Inside The Magic.Elite Cafemedia Lifestyle.Retrieved8 June2021.Now, Boyega has moved on from Star Wars and has been filming the upcoming Netflix series, Rebel Ridge. However, a wrench has been thrown into the production — Boyega recently walked out mid-production, reportedly due to "family reasons".
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  62. ^John Nugent (11 March 2016)."Jameson Empire Awards 2016: Star Wars and Mad Max lead the nominations".Empire Awards.Retrieved18 February2016.
  63. ^Georgia Film Critics Association Editors (4 January 2016)."Georgia Film Critics Association 2015 Awards".Georgia Film Critics Association.Retrieved4 January2016.{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help)
  64. ^Lovett, Jamie (18 February 2016)."Kids' Choice Awards: Adele, Justin Bieber, 'Star Wars' Among Nominees".The Hollywood Reporter.Retrieved11 March2016.
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