John Boyega Confirms What We Suspected About How Kathleen Kennedy Deals With Talent
John Boyega has been nothing if not consistently honest about his experience playing Finn in the "Star Wars" sequel trilogy. That forthwith behavior has gotten him both applause and dissent from fans of the film series and of science fiction films in general, and while he has spoken of putting the franchise behind him, his "Star Wars" work is still a topic that sometimes comes up when the actor is interviewed. When one is part of such a culturally far-reaching movie series, it's perhaps not a shocking thing that it might occasionally be a topic of conversation.
Boyega's working relationship with Kathleen Kennedy, the President of LucasFilm who produced the sequel trilogy after working extensively with Steven Spielberg, has been one that has drawn curiosity from casual watchers and devoted "Star Wars" fans alike. His statements about collaborating with the producer confirms what we suspected about how she deals with the actors, directors, and other crew members she has worked with on film sets all over the world.
Kennedy is 'honest, transparent' with talent
Per an interview with GQ Magazine in 2020 (quoted on Deadline), John Boyega described a discussion he had with Kathleen Kennedy about the "Star Wars" franchise's treatment of non-white characters. "I got on a phone call with Kathleen Kennedy and she verbally showed support and we got to have a really nice, transparent, honest conversation that is beneficial to both of us." In an interview with Jakes's Takes (via YouTube and quoted by Entertainment Weekly) from 2020, the actor added that he would gladly return to the "Star Wars" franchise, but only if Kennedy and J.J. Abrams had roles in the production.
Boyega has long been honest about his feelings about how non-white characters were treated by the latter half of the new "Star Wars" trilogy. In GQ, he stated that POC characters such as Finn and Kelly Marie Tran's Rose Tico were "pushed to the side" in "Star Wars: the Last Jedi" and "Star Wars: the Rise of Skywalker" to center the relationship between Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), giving them "all the nuance."
"Let's be honest. Daisy knows this. Adam knows this. Everybody knows. I'm not exposing anything," he said.
Kennedy's admiration for Boyega is also a matter of public record. Per Deadline, she called the performer a "hero" for his participation in and the speech he made at a Black Lives Matter protest in England in 2020.