John Boyega has openly discussed his mixed emotions about being part of the recent Star Wars films made by Disney.
John Boyega, known for playing Finn in the recent Star Wars trilogy – *The Force Awakens*, *The Last Jedi*, and *The Rise of Skywalker* – has publicly discussed his disappointment with the films. He’s spoken about how his character’s story wasn’t developed as he’d hoped, and about the negative and racist treatment he and other actors of color received from some fans.
While at Supercon Florida, the actor from *Attack the Block* shared what he would have changed in the sequel movies if he’d been a producer.
One of the major changes he’d make? Not killing off Luke, Han, and Leia, for a start.
John Boyega stated that if he had been involved with *Star Wars* from the start, the franchise would have taken a very different direction.
It would be crazy to get rid of characters like Han Solo and Luke Skywalker. We’re focused on finishing their stories and honoring what they’ve built. Our priority is to create a satisfying transition to the next generation.
The actor said he would have liked to show his characters facing more difficulties, and he would have included details from the popular 2008 video game, *Force Unleashed*.
“Our new characters will not be [overpowered] in these movies. They won’t just grab stuff and know what to do with it. No. You’ve got to struggle like every other character in this franchise. I’d do that. I’d look to the Old Republic stories, and see what we can add to the continuation of that. I would definitely want to see Force Unleashed stories in there. I would try to expand the Star Wars universe as much as possible while respecting the lore. If we’re expanding the lore, we have to do it within the respective boundaries that stay true,” he explained.
John Boyega explained he didn’t think Luke Skywalker’s character should have been relegated to a brief appearance. He felt the character deserved a much more substantial role, saying, ‘He wouldn’t be disappearing on a rock. Hell no. Standing there and he’s, like, a projector? I would want to give those characters way more.’
I was really interested to hear John Boyega talking at Fan Expo Boston recently. He shared that when he first played Finn in *The Force Awakens* back in 2015, he actually thought Finn would train as a Jedi alongside Rey, especially after that quick lightsaber moment! It was disappointing to hear him say that didn’t happen, and that he felt his character kind of got sidelined after being presented as one of the main leads.
Boyega revealed he initially believed his character and another would both be Jedi. After reading the script for *The Force Awakens*, he expected a storyline similar to Obi-Wan and Darth Vader, where the two characters would eventually turn against each other.
When the first trailer for *The Force Awakens* came out in 2014, John Boyega faced hateful and racist reactions from some online fans.
In a 2020 interview with *British GQ*, he explained that Disney developed the characters of Rey and Kylo Ren with a lot of depth, but seemed unsure how to handle the character of Finn, a Black stormtrooper.
He explained that in 2025, some people felt the *Star Wars* universe lacked diversity, and simply seeing a Black character within it felt significant. Despite this, he remains a devoted fan of the franchise, even though his own experiences with it weren’t always positive.
The next Star Wars movie, The Mandalorian and Grogu,will release in theaters on May 22, 2026.
Actors Who Were Wasted in Star Wars Roles
Danny Trejo
Danny Trejo frequently appears in films directed by Robert Rodriguez, so fans weren’t surprised to see him in *The Book of Boba Fett* on Disney+. However, his role was disappointingly brief – he simply played the trainer for Boba Fett’s pet rancor in just a few minutes of footage. Given that he’s known as the iconic character Machete, many viewers wondered why he wasn’t given a more substantial role, perhaps even a showdown with Boba Fett himself!
Dominic Monaghan
A recurring issue with the recent *Star Wars* sequels is that hyped-up characters often end up with surprisingly little screen time. In *The Rise of Skywalker*, Beaumont Kin, played by Dominic Monaghan, fell into this pattern. He was initially presented as a skilled codebreaker for the Rebellion, and his casting-featuring a well-known actor from *Lord of the Rings* and *Lost*-suggested he’d be a significant character. However, Beaumont ultimately didn’t play a substantial role in the film, leaving fans wondering what could have been.
Dominic West
Years before Dominic West became famous for his role in *The Wire*, he had a very small part in *Star Wars: The Phantom Menace*. He played a security guard who briefly allows Anakin Skywalker access to Queen Amidala’s room, with just a few lines and no close-up shots. Given his talent, West would seem ideally suited to play a charming, morally ambiguous smuggler like Han Solo – and he still could. For now, though, that *Phantom Menace* appearance feels like a missed opportunity.
Gwendoline Christie
When Gwendoline Christie, known for her role in *Game of Thrones*, was cast as Captain Phasma in *The Force Awakens*, fans were excited. Phasma was presented as a strong, armored Stormtrooper. However, her part ended up being quite small. The character seemed to exist mainly to showcase a visually impressive design that was initially created for another character, Kylo Ren. While Phasma appeared in both *The Force Awakens* and *The Last Jedi*, she didn’t really contribute much to either story, and almost anyone could have played the part behind the cool armor.
Jessica Henwick
Jessica Henwick has connections to some major franchises! You might recognize her from *Game of Thrones*, but she’s also been in the *Star Wars* universe and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She played Colleen Wing in *Iron Fist* and Bugs in *The Matrix Resurrections*, and even appeared as an X-wing pilot in *The Force Awakens*.
Justin Theroux
Justin Theroux originally signed on for a much bigger role as the Master Codebreaker in *Star Wars: The Last Jedi*. However, as the movie’s story evolved under director Rian Johnson, his character was almost entirely cut. Johnson asked Theroux if he’d still be willing to appear, even for a small cameo that would mostly be a treat for dedicated fans, and Theroux agreed. It’s always good to see Justin Theroux in a movie, but it’s even better when he has more to do than just make a quick appearance.
Lupita Nyong’o
Lupita Nyong’o, an Academy Award winner for her role in *12 Years a Slave*, later appeared as the CGI character Maz Kanata in the *Star Wars* sequels. Unfortunately, the character didn’t offer Nyong’o much to work with. Across three films, Maz Kanata’s contributions were minimal: she briefly considered giving Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber to Rey, then directed Finn, Poe, and Rose to Canto Bight in *The Last Jedi*. In *The Rise of Skywalker*, she primarily served to explain plot points related to General Leia, a storyline developed after Carrie Fisher’s passing. Throughout the sequels, Maz Kanata lacked any significant or compelling moments, and despite the financial investment, Nyong’o’s talents weren’t effectively utilized.
Max Von Sydow
You probably forgot that Max von Sydow appeared in *The Force Awakens*, and that’s understandable! He played Lor San Tekka, a character with a longer name than his screen time. Lor is an old friend of Luke Skywalker who gives Poe Dameron the crucial map to Luke’s whereabouts, setting off the entire plot. Unfortunately, he doesn’t survive long after that. We barely got to know Lor San Tekka – and that’s not an exaggeration.
Rose Byrne
By 2002, Rose Byrne was already a successful actress in Australia, having won Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival in 2000 for her performance in *Goddess of 1967*. While her role as a handmaiden to Senator Amidala in *Attack of the Clones* might have made her seem like a newcomer to Hollywood, she soon demonstrated her considerable talent and quickly proved she was capable of much more.
Sung Kang
Sung Kang, known for his charm in the *Fast & Furious* movies, has the talent to lead a *Star Wars* series. His *Fast & Furious* character, Han Seoul-oh, is even named after Han Solo, suggesting he has the charisma of a classic *Star Wars* hero. Sadly, his actual *Star Wars* role as the Fifth Brother was underwhelming. He was one of the Inquisitors in *Obi-Wan Kenobi*, but didn’t play a major part. Perhaps a standalone film focusing on a character like “Seoul-Oh” would have been a better fit.
Thandiwe Newton
Many actors weren’t used to their full potential in *Solo*, but Thandiwe Newton’s character felt especially underdeveloped. She played Val, a partner to the criminal Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson), who mentors a young Han Solo. Val dies during an early, failed heist, supposedly to drive Beckett’s storyline forward. It would have been better to see Newton, a talented actress, in almost any other role in the film – anything that would have given her more to do than this limited part. Newton herself was unhappy with how her character’s story ended, and revealed in an interview that Val wasn’t originally meant to die, or at least not so definitively. She powerfully stated that killing off the first Black woman with a significant role in a *Star Wars* movie was a mistake.
Titus Welliver
Titus Welliver is a fantastic television actor with a long and impressive career, starting with memorable roles in shows like *Deadwood*, *Lost*, and *Sons of Anarchy*. More recently, he’s become well-known for starring as Harry Bosch in the Amazon series *Bosch* and its continuation, *Bosch: Legacy*. He did appear in *Star Wars* once, playing the captain of an Imperial ship in an episode of *The Mandalorian*. Unfortunately, his character died at the end of that episode, so he won’t be returning. But we’ll always have *Bosch* to enjoy!
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2025-09-24 22:58