In case you haven’t heard, John Boyega plays a black First Order Stormtrooper in The Force Awakens. And, according to the actor, detractors need to “get used to it.” As Boyega told V Magazine in a recent interview: “I’m in the movie, what are you going to do about it?”
There has always been some concern about a lack of color—outside of Lando Calrissian, Willrow Hood, and Grizz Frix—in the original Star Wars trilogy. (Director John Landis even asked George Lucas, “George, is everybody in outer space white?,” after seeing Star Wars for the first time.) There was an attempt to rectify this in the prequel trilogy, but The Force Awakens, as well as Rogue One, appear to be introducing more major characters of color and icky girls into lead roles. “I’m not saying get used to the future,” Boyega continues, “but what is already happening. People of color and women are increasingly being shown on screen. For things to be whitewashed just doesn’t make any sense.”
For some reason, it’s the prequel trilogy—three movies that some fans (and possibly J.J. Abrams) pretend don’t exist, and most people would never again see if it weren’t for the occasional Spike TV marathon—that are cited as a source when arguing that there are no black Stormtroopers, because Stormtroopers can only be clones of Jango Fett. But is it that unbelievable that society may have changed in the 30 or so years since Return Of The Jedi? (The Star Wars equivalent of Fox News is probably concerned that minorities, aliens, and droids are taking away jobs from white folk, who simply want to make make the galaxy great again.) And, to be fair, when it was just white clones in the ranks, Stormtroopers couldn’t shoot for shit.
“All the films I’ve done have had a secret commentary on stereotypical mentalities,” says Boyega. “It’s about getting people to drop a prejudiced state of mind and realize, ‘Oh shit, we’re just watching normal people.’”
The Force Awakens hits theaters on December 18th.
[via The Wrap]