John Boyega has some strong thoughts about his character's role in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and he isn't afraid to share them. Boyega began his Star Wars journey in 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which introduced audiences to a new set of characters within the world of the franchise. He then followed that up with an appearance in 2017's Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the next film in the sequel trilogy. Boyega is currently doing press for the final film in the epic Skywalker saga, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which is out this Friday.
In the process of promoting the newest Star Wars adventure, conversation has often turned to Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Cast members, including Boyega, haven't been shy about issues they had with the Rian Johnson film. It marked a departure for the sequel trilogy, as J.J. Abrams co-wrote and directed both Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the new film. For his part, Boyega mentioned earlier this month that "[The Last Jedi] was feeling a bit iffy for me. I didn't necessarily agree with a lot of the choices in that and that's something that I spoke to Mark a lot about and we had conversations about it."
Boyega spoke along those same lines this week on THR's "Hollywood Remixed" podcast. During the interview, he conceded that he "liked the idea of Rian having his own take on something that was quite important, and I liked the idea of these characters being challenged and separated and stressed, like everyone was just trying to get to each other. That excited me." However, he went on to to say, "I will be honest in saying that I think they could’ve done better [by] Finn, especially with Finn and Rose." In Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Boyega's character, Finn, and Kelly Marie Tran's character, Rose, spend much of the film separated from the rest of the team.
Boyega also alluded to that separation in the same conversation, pointing out that it could have played a role in his feelings toward the film. He shared, "I think some of it was selfish on my part, too. But in general, all of us - me, Daisy [Ridley], Oscar [Issac] - because we just wanted to be with each other." This jives with their roles in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, where Finn spends much of the movie with Ridley's Rey, in particular. Boyega's comments come as reviews have started to arrive for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. So far, reactions have been mixed, though it won't be until this weekend that the average fan begins to weigh in.
The comments from Boyega and other members of the cast and production team about Star Wars: The Last Jedi are likely to divide fans. Some thoroughly enjoyed Johnson's film and are probably disappointed to hear that Boyega had issues with it. On the other hand, as with any big fandom, there are also those who feel the opposite and were upset by Finn's storyline in the movie. One positive of all three films in the sequel trilogy being quite different is that most fans should find at least one to enjoy, even if, for Boyega at least, it may not be Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Source: THR/Hollywood Remixed
