John Boyega addresses racist comments from Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer

It was a trailer that was very well recieved by Star Wars fans (if the Flickering Myth Reaction is anything to go by) but there were some who felt that John Boyega (Attack the Block) shouldn’t play a Stormtrooper in Star Wars: The Force Awakens because – get this – he’s black. Aside from the race angle, some fans also claim this casting causes plotholes as all Stormtroopers are supposedly clones of Jango Fett.

What a world we live in.

Anyway, Boyega has taken to Instagram to address these complaints, telling people to “get used to it”.

 

With love xxx

A photo posted by @jboyega on Nov 11, 2014 at 1:37pm PST

Several movies have come under fire as of late due to their casting with Josh Trank’s The Fantastic Four getting a huge amount of Internet backlash for Michael B. Jordan playing The Human Torch and Rupert Murdoch had to publicly defend Exodus: Gods and Kings which features and all-white cast playing Egyptians.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is set for release on December 18th 2015 and sees returning stars Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Kenny Baker (R2-D2) and Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) joined by John Boyega (Attack the Block), Adam Driver (Girls), Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis), Andy Serkis (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), Domhnall Gleeson (Dredd), Daisy Ridley (Silent Witness), Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones), Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave), Miltos Yerolemou (Game of Thrones), Max von Sydow (The Exorcist), Jessica Henwick (Spirit Warriors), Christina Chong (24: Live Another Day) and newcomers Crystal Clarke and Pip Andersen.  

Originally published December 1, 2014. Updated October 24, 2022.