John Boyega is a known actor, noticeably for his roles in The Rise Of Skywalker, Detroit, The Circle and more. However, the 28-year-old talent has especially been spoken about lately because of his activism.
In the midst of the Black Lives Matter movement, which has rightfully been internationally brought to light in the past week, as a result of George Floyd's murder, John has made the headlines for his roles in the protests.
On June 3, 2020, John joined the Black Lives Matter protest in Hyde Park in London and delivered a powerful speech to the crowd. In consequence, John's words became a source of inspiration for many and have been spoken about on every single media.
In this article, we take a look at little-known facts about the actor.
14 He Is British
Although you might recognize the young actor from mostly Hollywood-produced movie and therefore speaking with an American accent, John Boyega is in reality, British. That's right, the 28-year-old actor was born in Peckham, a district located in South of London. He was born as John Adedayo Bamidele Adegboyega but shortened his stage name to John Boyega.
13 He Is Of Nigerian Descent
John is proud to be English, but the actor is also proud of his roots. The Star Wars actor is the son of Abigail, who works with disabled people, and Samson Adegboyega, who's a Pentecostal minister. Abigail and Samson are both Nigerian. John has always been vocal about his Nigerian descendence and also embraces his heritage.
12 His First Acting Role Was A Leopard
It's hard to picture Star Wars' First Order Stormtrooper and resistance fighter, otherwise known as "Finn", wearing a leopard costume. Well, everyone has to start somewhere. For John Boyega, this meant playing the role of a leopard in his school play. Indeed, John's first acting role happened while attending the Oliver Goldsmith Primary School in London.
11 John Played Shakespeare's Othello
One of the most defining moments in John's career was when he played the lead in a Shakespeare play. While attending the South Thames College at the college's Wandsworth campus to study for a National Diploma in Performing Arts, John was cast to play the title role of Othello.
10 He Is A Trained Actor
John is a well-trained actor. After studying for a National Diploma in Performing Arts, he enrolled at the University of Greenwich to study for a Bachelor's degree in film studies and media writing. Although he dropped out of the university to focus on his career, John did continue learning and trained with the Identity School of Acting in London.
9 He Acted In A Movie About Police Brutality
In 2017, John was cast in the movie Detroit. The movie is now particularly relevant, as its plot focuses on the Detroit Police Department launching a raid on a group of African-Americans in the 1960s, and is based on true events. John played the role of Melvin Dismukes, a security guard who was assigned to protect a grocery store from looters.
8 John Accidentally Forgot His Star Wars Script (And Almost Got The Movie Leaked)
Last year, the British actor revealed something quite astonishing. John admitted to forgetting a script for the new Star Wars movie. As a result, the script ended up on eBay. The actor explained that he had mistakingly left the script under his bed while moving apartments. Fortunately, it was found and bought by a production rep for the movie.
7 He Has Voiced Video Games
The 28-year-old talent has done more work beside acting. Indeed, John landed his voice on three occasions for video games. In 2015, he was the voice of Finn in Disney Infinity 3.0, in 2016, he voiced again in Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens and in 2017, he lent his voice a last time for the same character, in Star Wars Battlefront II.
6 Because Of His Activism, Film Directors Want To Cast Him
After famously speaking up at the Black Lives Matter protest in London, the actor apprehended Hollywood's reaction and even said that he'd doubt he'd have a career "after this". Fortunately, his activism had quite the opposite outcome and was well-received by the film industry. As a matter of fact, several directors have come out expressing their wish to work with John.
5 He Is A Proud Christian
As mentioned above, John's father, Samson Adegboyega, is a Pentecostal minister. It goes without saying that the actor has grown up in a religious environment. Today, the British talent still practices the faith and has even revealed in a recent interview that he is looking for a partner who is also Christian.
4 John Has Revealed That He Can't Lie
In an interview published by The Guardian, John has revealed that he learnt from an early age to stand up for himself. The actor even recounted the time he slapped a schoolmate after attempting to steal his phone. John also revealed that being so direct sometimes has been a flaw, but wasn't afraid to say that he simply can't lie.
3 During A PR Training, John Was Told He Was Coming Off As Too Angry
In a funny Instagram post, the 28-year-old Pacific Rim Uprising actor revealed that he was told that he appeared too heated during interviews. He wrote the following caption to his amusing interview clip: "Had to do PR training and was told I came off too angry, which honestly just made me more angry."
2 He Was Nostalgic Leaving The Star Wars Franchise
In an interview published by CinemaBlend, John explained his nostalgia from leaving the Star Wars franchise. The 28-year-old actor said that he had been feeling this way, especially during the lockdown. He would look at his old scripts and notes from his auditions. The lockdown has definitely been an odd time which has left many people time to reminisce about old memories.
1 John Has Explained Why White People Can't Educate Him On Racism
In an interview published by Buzzfeed News, John reacted to an interview with George the Poet on BBC which went viral. George the Poet explained that the protests in the UK were solidarity with the US, but also in response to police brutality in the UK. John reacted to the clip by saying that "if you're white" you should "just shush your mouth" as a white person can't educate him about his own experience.