New Entertainment Weekly Interview With John Boyega

john-boyega

After the interviews with Carrie Fisher and Daisy Ridley, Entertainment Weekly sat down with actor John Boyega and discussed what was his favorite moment on the stage at Star Wars Celebration, as well as some other tidbits about his personal life and more…

 

 

Excerpts from Entertainment Weekly:

 

EW: Onstage you said you got Harrison Ford to sign a replica of Han Solo in a stormtrooper disguise. Have you seen your action figure yet?

 

Boyega: I haven’t! I haven’t seen any action figure, but I know we’ve done some scanning and some molding, so I know that my face may just pop up on a shelf somewhere.

 

EW: What was your expectation coming to the Star Wars Celebration convention versus how it turned out? Were you uncertain or nervous? Because you have been told over and over to not to talk about this movie.

 

Boyega: I knew it was going to be huge. I knew it was going to be a surprise for the fans. But there’s nothing like experiencing Star Wars Celebration Day. There’s just nothing like it. The love, the enthusiasm, the joy. Everyone feels like one body of absolute crazy fandom, and I was so overwhelmed by it.

 

 

Daisy Ridley as Rey in The Force Awakens

 

EW: What was your favorite moment out on stage? What stuck with you?

 

Boyega: You know what stuck with me was the moment when we all came together and took the photos together [at the end.] It’s just so symbolic. There’s something symbolic about the new generation and the old coming together to take an amazing photo, that is historical. It just really represents what Star Wars is. We’re going back to Star Wars, back to the three originals and continuing that legacy. And that moment for me was insane because I’m looking at the crowd, and then I look beside me and I’m seeing Daisy, I’m seeing Mark Hamill, I’m seeing Carrie Fisher, and I’m like, where am I? So that was amazing.

 

 

For the full interview make sure to go to Entertainment Weekly

 

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Founder of SWNN, MNN and The Cantina forums.

Born on April 24, 1980.

Val Trichkov (Viral Hide)

Founder of SWNN, MNN and The Cantina forums.Born on April 24, 1980.

95 thoughts on “New Entertainment Weekly Interview With John Boyega

  • April 27, 2015 at 12:01 am
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    I love this guy. He was great in Attack the Block and I feel confident he’ll be great in TFA, but he also just seems like the most down-to-earth, sweet, guy. I think he deserves this, which is always nice to see. The fact that none of the three leads in a new Star Wars movie are white males is endlessly exciting to me, and I hope Boyega in particular knows that most fans are completely on his side, despite the racists that have surfaced lately.

    • April 27, 2015 at 3:20 am
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      funny dude,real funny.

      • April 27, 2015 at 3:22 am
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        no I think this parson is just saying that in some way Hollywood is being more progressive?

    • April 27, 2015 at 3:29 am
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      he we go again with this mess, am done!

    • April 27, 2015 at 4:09 am
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      People who have no humanity don’t care
      About good acting or how much his is down to earth he is, they well even make jokes about him that are so sick and deturbing…even my so called friends that I had are saying the same racist shit.

    • April 27, 2015 at 4:21 am
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      I loved attack the block!

    • April 27, 2015 at 4:29 am
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      So if your supporting diversity your a racist or your just self loathing?

    • April 27, 2015 at 5:07 am
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      You seem to have condemned him without hearing a single line from his performance in episode VII

      Seems legit.

      • April 27, 2015 at 5:12 am
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        yeah..fair I guess.

    • April 27, 2015 at 6:13 am
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      “Yeah, wow, it is SO exciting that none of the leads is a white guy. Seriously?”

      For me, personally, ABSOLUTELY.

      Don’t get me wrong. I love white male lead characters. John McClane. Captain Kirk. Iron Man. Indiana Jones. However, after 32 years, I’m tired of seeing white guys be the hero AGAIN AND AGAIN in mainstream blockbuster films, while minorities and women are mostly ignored. For instance, where are the non-martial arts/nerdy Asian lead actors in Hollywood?

      Disney could’ve easily played it safe by sticking to the formula of giving us another all-white trio of two men and one woman, with a token black dude in a supporting role to the while guy-driven story, but it’s nice to know they recognize the importance of representing diversity in our culture.

      Regardless our race or gender, we can all be the hero.

      • April 27, 2015 at 6:09 pm
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        For a movie saga that outright offended some people with Jar Jar Binks and the Neimoidans, it might actually be apt for it to return with some diversity.

      • April 27, 2015 at 10:15 pm
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        Some guy:

        You’re angry and resort to name calling because you’re scared. You wish to maintain the status quo because white men benefit as a result.

        You see, guys, this is yet another reason why Hollywood needs more diversity. There are way too many racists out there who are spoiled with seeing white men dominate our culture and the world.

        You know, Some guy, it is possible to focus on producing a quality film while diversifying the cast with talented actors. It doesn’t have to be one or the other.

    • April 27, 2015 at 9:04 am
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      What??? Oscar Isaac is what? Black? Asian?

      He’s a caucasian man.

      • April 27, 2015 at 4:47 pm
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        Actually he has Hispanic roots.

        Born in Guatemala. His mother is Guatemalan and his father a Cuban. Grew up in Miami aka Cuba North.

        • April 27, 2015 at 7:55 pm
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          Yeah he is still likely Caucasian though, but still hispanic.

          Hispanic and LAtino are two easily confused terms, but Hispanic refers to anyone of cultural origins that comes from central or sout america.

          Latino refers to the sort of mixed native/latin race that makes up the bulk of the central american population.

          Latino can sometimes be applied to anyone from the regions, but not technically.

          Its so much more confusin than it needs to be. But Asians, Blacks, Arabs, and just about anyone of any race that comes out of any country south of the border can and his reffered to as Hispanic or even latino.

          ITs confusing as hell, but honestly the reason is because the racial makeup of the countries is extremely mixed, with the few native ethnic pockets being the only groups that barely have any mixture.

          do yourself a favor and dont look up all the individual variations of human races there are in the world.

          I saw this chart on deviantart, that was just… amazing, and it showed so many different regional and small groups of humanity with varying traits.

          Humans are awesome.

          • April 27, 2015 at 9:12 pm
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            I am sorry, not trying to mock your comment but I cannot let pass this erroneous commment to be without being corrected…

            “Hispanic and LAtino are two easily confused terms, but Hispanic refers to anyone of cultural origins that comes from central or sout america.
            Latino refers to the sort of mixed native/latin race that makes up the bulk of the central american population.
            Latino can sometimes be applied to anyone from the regions, but not technically”

            That is a wrong opinion, this is what those terms means:

            Hispanic is an ethnonym to people of country heritage that speak the Spanish language, in some definitions, to ancient Roman Hispania, which roughly comprised the Iberian Peninsula including the contemporary states of Spain, Portugal, Andorra and the Crown Colony or British Overseas Territories of Gibraltar.
            And…Latino means…Full Definition of LATINO. 1: a native or inhabitant of Latin America . 2: a person of Latin-American origin living in the United States — Latino adjective….
            Hopefully that sets the record straight…..

          • April 28, 2015 at 5:25 am
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            The only thig that is different about what you said and what I thought it meant, was taht hispanic reffered to a wider-range of nations and regions than I initially thought…

      • April 27, 2015 at 6:30 pm
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        WRONG….HISPANIC…..

    • April 27, 2015 at 9:19 am
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      So you have a problem with Daisy being a girl?

    • April 27, 2015 at 3:57 pm
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      Yes he is nice. A much apreciated contrast to Daisy-I-stole-Kira-Nightley’s-botox-face-and-acting-talent-Ridley.

      • April 28, 2015 at 1:29 am
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        It must be really awesome to have already seen the movie and know everything about heretofore unknown actress Daisy Ridley’s acting talents. I hope you enjoyed it.

  • April 27, 2015 at 12:06 am
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    Dear Viral Hide, Pomojema and everybody…

    Do you have any information about the black troopers or black gunners (?) or droids (?) appearing in the new teaser? They can be seen in the mass scene when the troopers are turning around. They (at least three) are standing next to the black-white TIE fighters on the left, they are turning around too. They have a special helmet, which is similar to the Death Star Gunner helmet but this version has a strange horn (?) on the face part of the helmet. They look fantastic.

  • April 27, 2015 at 12:11 am
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    Finn Calrissian!

    • April 27, 2015 at 2:28 am
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      that might be the case but lando is not even in the film so…I don’t know.

      • April 27, 2015 at 6:45 am
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        Why do we assume that everyone has to be related to eachother? Can’t we have a black person who isn’t related to Lando. We live in a multicultural world, with people of all shades of pigmentation. Isn’t it reasonable to expect that the Star Wars galaxy would be the same? Also, if there were an actor playing Lando’s son, why wouldn’t it be Billy Dee Williams real son Corey?

  • April 27, 2015 at 12:13 am
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    As promised some posters have been banned.

    • April 27, 2015 at 6:03 am
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      Good

    • April 27, 2015 at 8:32 am
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      Much appreciated!

  • April 27, 2015 at 12:33 am
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    John seems like a bad fit for Star Wars.

    And the majority of comments I’ve read online reinforce this view.

    • April 27, 2015 at 12:48 am
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      Yeah, but you enjoy TFA overall?

    • April 27, 2015 at 5:08 am
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      Seems objective. The n=1 really convinced me.

      • April 27, 2015 at 7:22 am
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        I got what you did there (n=1)..

      • April 27, 2015 at 4:50 pm
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        Well played.

    • April 27, 2015 at 6:16 am
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      In what way?

  • April 27, 2015 at 12:35 am
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    Look closely at the photo. There’s a Rebel (or Resistance) insignia painted on the side of that (old-style) TIE fighter.

    I’m surprised no one is talking about it.

    • April 27, 2015 at 12:59 am
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      Well spotted!

    • April 27, 2015 at 1:14 am
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      Huh. Well, I’ll be.

      Maybe the Rebellion commandeered Imperial ships after Endor and used them until the First Order rose to power?

    • April 27, 2015 at 3:39 am
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      wow, I didn’t even see that!

      • April 27, 2015 at 3:31 pm
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        I really like the Idea that the resistance uses Old empire TIE fighters , but It Would be to confusing If the first order Also uses Old x-wings 😀 IT seems like the empire/first order still have more money, although the moneyisssue is never mentioned in the movies

  • April 27, 2015 at 2:51 am
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    So is he gonna be a good guy the whole time

    • April 27, 2015 at 3:27 am
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      maybe so,not like the way lando flipped over the good guys.

      • April 27, 2015 at 6:28 am
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        Lando wasn’t a bad guy though.

        Han and the others had placed him in a bad situation. He did the best he could given the circumstances. Then he risked his own life and the lives of his people to free his guests.

        I was disappointed how ungrateful Leia was. “We don’t need your help!” she yelled as soon as he helped them. He saved their lives. Meanwhile, Luke ends up saving no one at the end of V.

        Lando is V’s unsung hero.

        • April 27, 2015 at 6:45 am
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          yeah your right, I hate it when people were giving lando shit, what was he gonna do? vader got to him there first before Han and leia did, if he didn’t agree with vader’s plan to ambush them vader would have killed lando.

          • April 27, 2015 at 9:31 am
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            And he had the whole cloud city’s population to worry about too.

  • April 27, 2015 at 3:34 am
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    he really down to earth.

    • April 27, 2015 at 3:44 am
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      yeah, I can tell has love for star wars.

  • April 27, 2015 at 4:05 am
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    Star wars is back.-John.

  • April 27, 2015 at 4:11 am
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    Fuck the haters, John is going to be great in this!

    • April 27, 2015 at 4:50 am
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      @ C3PO

      You’re wrong. John’s gonna fail epically.

      • April 27, 2015 at 4:59 am
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        Keep dreaming dude.

      • April 27, 2015 at 5:10 am
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        Boyega will do epicly, champ. As in not epically.

        • April 27, 2015 at 5:21 am
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          yeah,he’s a real fan of star wars. at the star wars panel when he said that he played the force unleashed was shocked.

          • April 27, 2015 at 5:30 am
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            that person was a joking you know that right?
            but really fuck that I can’t wait for this movie!

        • April 27, 2015 at 5:33 am
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          good team work you guys!

        • April 27, 2015 at 5:41 am
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          you will see the movie anyway(jedi mind trick)

  • April 27, 2015 at 5:04 am
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    JJ IS GIVEING US SOMTHING THAT LOOKS AND FEELS LIKE STAR WARS….and I come here hearing the same bullshit about boyega.

  • April 27, 2015 at 5:26 am
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    am more worried about jj then the actors cause am sure they will do fine. when are we
    getting the full character names of the two leads its killing me!

  • April 27, 2015 at 5:43 am
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    john, you have just stepped into a larger world.

  • April 27, 2015 at 5:46 am
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    the fear, the hate.

  • April 27, 2015 at 5:48 am
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    When ppl freaked about having a stormtrooper who wasn’t white I laughed. It’s 2015.. C’mon.. Last time I checked I never saw and pasty, fat Stormtroopers who could barely fit in their suit. I’m also pretty sure none of them still live in their parents basement spending most of their time trolling the Internet acting like they know what Star Wars should really be like. I know I’m going to love this movie. So keep an open mind. Afterall, that is how Star Wars was born. I’m out…

  • April 27, 2015 at 6:11 am
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    the force is strong in this cast. Oscar Isaac has it, john Boyega has it,daisy ridley has it and JJ Abrams has this power too. this movie is going to be historical!

  • April 27, 2015 at 9:03 am
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    To Viral Hide: By the time you get to this post you are probably wishing you never bothered with this site. I just wanted to say thank you and it’s a joy to come here and chat about these movies I have grown up with and cherish so much. I for one will try to do better to make this place more fun and positive from here on.

    • April 27, 2015 at 3:33 pm
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      Hey guys I love that we have the magic back in star wars again. I apologize for any negativity. I had to stand up to that guy Darth Revan. I’m a black dude and I love all people. Star wars is the perfect universe for many different types of beings to be enjoyed. Anyway, back to the fun!!!

  • April 27, 2015 at 9:33 am
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    “I have a dream that… they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

    They indeed have character. Who do I mean?

    Daisy, Harrison, Mark, Oscar, Gwendolyn, John, Max, Andy, Carrie…(too many in the cast to list here…)

  • April 27, 2015 at 12:40 pm
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    I so, so hope that Boyega and Ridley end up romantically involved in the new trilogy. That would blow the racists’ minds!

    • April 27, 2015 at 3:11 pm
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      Awfully petty

      • April 27, 2015 at 3:45 pm
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        How so?

      • April 27, 2015 at 4:54 pm
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        Star Wars is, cheesily enough, a story about love conquering all the bad crap that happens in somebody’s life.

        The fact that Anakin doesn’t really know anything about Luke but can still identify a love for Luke, his son, is ultimately what destroys the Sith (for the time being of course lol).

  • April 27, 2015 at 7:25 pm
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    Do you also find it puzzling if black people want to use the same drinking fountain as you?

    Man wtf is up with SW fans? We are supposed to be better than this. FFS, we had Lando in Star Wars over *30* years ago.

    I like Boyega… I laughed at the comment from yesterday that said He’s “over acting” based on the *1 second* snippets in the teaser. I saw attack the block, I like him.

    • April 27, 2015 at 10:39 pm
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      “Man wtf is up with SW fans? We are supposed to be better than this. FFS, we had Lando in Star Wars over *30* years ago.”

      Lando and Mace were both supporting black characters in stories that were primarily about white men. Boyega and Oscar broke that mold.

      This is different. In a sense, Domhnall is the new Lando.

      • April 27, 2015 at 11:12 pm
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        My point was that in the early 80’s sci fi hollywood had progressed to the point where a black guy could take down a Death Star.

        It seems like society has made huge leaps and then leapt back, like if it wasn’t for Ferguson or Travon Martin I hadn’t thought of racial tension as being such a big deal. But all the sudden now it seems a cop could literally eat a black person alive and He’d probably still get off unless it was caught on video!

        Yet when I was a kid I didn’t think one second about Lando being black… Lando was just Lando. Who would have cared if he was a lead? To me in Jedi he pretty much was a lead. Thinking back on movies like Lethal weapon or Predator 2… were black leads something that people really cared or talked about? I don’t remember kids talking about it in the same way they do now, & I grew up in a white middle class area. No one had problems with those films, and they were real popular when I was a teenager.

        Though it’s encouraging to see my step daughter have a diverse range of friends. One of her friends is from Jordan & her mom makes us food sometimes… I can’t complain! My next door neighbor is Mexican; I would have it no other way after he helped me jump start my car at 7 in the morning. All these redneck SW fans don’t know what they’re missing!

        • April 28, 2015 at 12:24 am
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          Look Guys. The point we need to learn from the star wars universe is to put aside the physical and see the character of and individual no matter where they come from. To place appearance before character if very low level “thinking”. We need to learn from this and just enjoy each other and enjoy our, OUR planet!

        • April 28, 2015 at 2:12 am
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          Aras:

          Star Wars has never had a black lead in its nearly 40-year existence. Now, it gets a black lead, a Latino lead – and no white male one. Plus, a woman might end up being the star of the whole trilogy!

          As a black guy familiar with white men dominating Hollywood, I saw the backlash coming. Expect the Internet to get nasty come December.

          • April 28, 2015 at 2:42 am
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            Hopefully it gets nasty and there’s a boycott of all things Disney which will eventually cause their stock to plummet and will force the company into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

            #disneyhasitcoming

          • April 28, 2015 at 3:12 am
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            Besides repeat viewings from excited fans, expect more repeat viewings from those who support diversity and inclusiveness. We’ll more than make up for your misguided boycott.

            I see this film shaking up Hollywood.

            #TheDiversityAwakens

          • April 30, 2015 at 4:26 am
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            I’m a white guy at 36, i grew up with the original star wars. I think Boyega’s great! And he looks fantastic as a stormtrooper. The dark colour of his skin cotrasts the white of the stormtroopers armour perfectly. I think he’s gonna become a bad ass and probably a fan favourite too. I have a feeling he’ll have a huge charachter developement through the triology, may not be with a lightsabre but perhaps with some blasters. John Boyega, I’m rooting for you!

  • April 27, 2015 at 7:33 pm
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    Look at the photo! Look at how everyone is the same height! Significance? Why is everyone in the cast (except Daisy, who may be wearing heels, and tiny Carrie) approximately 5’7″?! To be the same height as Mark Hamill? To make Chewy and (maybe!) Vader look taller?! What?!

    • April 27, 2015 at 11:05 pm
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      And your point being???

    • April 28, 2015 at 2:16 am
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      You mean 5’9”, not 5’7”. Yeah, I noticed that, too. Intentional or not, I thought it was a nice visual symbol for equality.

  • April 27, 2015 at 7:35 pm
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    Yoda wasn’t white. Didn’t see anyone bitching about that!

  • April 27, 2015 at 8:31 pm
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    I find it shocking how many Star Wars fans are bitching about the leads being a black guy & girl. It’s like… have any of you seen Star Wars?

    • April 27, 2015 at 10:55 pm
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      “I find it shocking how many Star Wars fans are bitching about the leads being a black guy & girl. It’s like… have any of you seen Star Wars?”

      Yeah, I have. Like the overwhelming number of Hollywood blockbuster movies, they’ve all starred white guys. Not only is the new trio diverse, none of them are white guys.

      Hence, all the complaining. 😛

      It’s like these people feel their “rightful place” was stolen from them and handed over to unworthy recipients.

  • April 27, 2015 at 11:00 pm
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    Fucking the new Uhura is not puzzling at all for me dude.

  • April 28, 2015 at 2:19 am
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    rebob:

    Star Wars is staying diverse. It’s not just for white men. Get used to it.

    • April 28, 2015 at 3:12 am
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      You could just go see that other film that will be better than star wars with white dudes as leads… *crickets chirping*

    • April 28, 2015 at 3:17 am
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      Seriously? What about Domhnall Gleeson, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, Max von Sydow, Pip Andersen, etc.?

  • April 28, 2015 at 2:24 am
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    “I will show my support for diversity and inclusion by not attending the premier of the TFA or any other day the film is available for viewing. Thanks.”

    Huh? You’re going to show your support for diversity and inclusion by NOT watching a diverse and inclusive film in theaters? ^_-

  • April 28, 2015 at 3:25 am
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    Sorry for a million posts today guys… I was on the phone with a friend I know who works for Elton John (I guess he’s recording in LA?) but anyway, this guy claimed that Harrison Ford had to have his foot amputated. (I’m not claiming this is true or not… just what I heard and my friend seems to believe it). I know Harrison was spotted driving a few weeks ago so who knows?

    Assuming this is true (which would be very sad) do you guys think Harrison would come back to do Han Solo if He survives Episode VII? I’m sure they could find some work around for the missing foot with either a prosthetic or just say… “hey, it’s a war wound!”. I could see Harrison Ford with a robotic leg… maybe they could do it up real nice like the girl from Planet Terror (machine gun leg). In the case of Harrison ford it could be a laser blaster leg.

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