British actor John Boyega might now be a household name, but before becoming Finn in Star Wars, he was nearly penniless—surviving on just R1,050 when opportunity knocked.
During an appearance at the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) on April 12, the They Cloned Tyrone star opened up about his journey to a galaxy far, far away, including the raw, emotional moment when J.J. Abrams offered him the role that would change his life.
“At the time I had R1,050 in my account,” Boyega said. “It took R790 to get to J.J. Do the math.”
Boyega was speaking with Josh Horowitz, host of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, when he detailed the emotional toll of endless auditions and near-misses leading up to Star Wars: The Force Awakens. “I had been auditioning for so long, so I felt like [Abrams] kind of took away my dignity a little bit,” he joked.
Despite feeling worn down, Boyega agreed to meet Abrams at a restaurant in Greenwich after the director told him it was “something important.” The actor admitted he was nervous and even braced for bad news, expecting at best a free meal and a polite rejection.
Instead, Abrams shocked him with the words every aspiring actor dreams of:
“You’re in Star Wars.”
The revelation froze time for Boyega. “I even noticed how many sugar cubes were in this very crushed little cup that was on the table,” he said. “Everything felt very surreal.”
Boyega would go on to portray FN-2187, also known as Finn, across three films in the franchise: The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017), and The Rise of Skywalker (2019). His portrayal of a stormtrooper turned resistance fighter marked a groundbreaking moment for representation in the iconic saga.
Post-Star Wars Reflections
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While Star Wars opened doors for Boyega, the actor has since been outspoken about the racism he faced from parts of the fanbase and the marginalization of his character in later films.
In the Apple TV+ documentary “Number One on the Call Sheet,” Boyega described the Star Wars experience as like “being in the most whitest, elite space.” Despite the personal and professional challenges, Boyega continues to shine with critically acclaimed performances and a growing reputation as a fearless voice in the film industry.
