John Boyega
My biggest challenge is to not do urban movies for the rest of my life, those alpha hoodies.Collection: Movies
Acting careers don't come out fully formed - not unless your name is Jaden Smith and your dad has done it all.Collection: Dad
I watched season four of 'The Wire.' They have subtle performances that they do through their eyes. You could watch season four with the audio off and still understand what's happening through their eyes.
'Attack The Block' is an alien invasion film set in South London. It's about a group of kids who are some petty thugs, who have to find the hero in themselves, when they attack.
There's a difference between living somewhere and being part of somewhere.
Film is just a great medium to express yourself and a great environment to work around.
In the States, you have a little bit of freedom to audition for different kinds of roles.
In this life, it's not hard to do wrong.
I like my women very green; you know, eco-friendly.
Some people feel fulfillment from a bitter end - it gives them some sort of sense of reality. But, when you're dealing with reality, I feel like films should discover the part that is happy.
My dad is a minister, and my mum is a worker with the less fortunate and the disabled. They're Nigerian natives. Their first language is Yoruba, and their second language is English.
My dad's a Pentecostal minister, meaning that he's full of charisma. If he's telling a story about Noah's ark, you best know each tiger is going to be having their own little conversation and narrative.
Normally you hear about Southeast London, and you hear about all the stuff that goes on down there, all the negative things, and the tabloids kind of stay away from all the positive things that happen that I see every day, which kind of outshines the negative.
The scripts that I've been getting are of epic proportion. People want me to lead the big armies.
I've been getting diverse roles.
I remember my manager telling me, 'Be myself, be humble, keep rooted, keep God first'. Those words were very helpful.
Who wouldn't want to be in 'Star Wars?' It'd be great.
I've had plenty of lessons about film acting and theatre acting.
I'd like to be in anything that tells a good story and has an interesting character.
There is a level of appreciation for brothers and sisters in the hood.
It's amazing that people still feel, 'Oh my gosh, it's a black guy.' We've been here for a long time; let's get used to it. Let's get used to other cultures.
Portray the world for what it is, and you will find truth.
I love London. I'm a London fanatic. That's my city.
You know, we all can do bad, and we all can do good.
The 'block' in 'Attack the Block' is not just a physical thing. It's people; it's families.
Being robbed hurts - not physically, but from what it does to your pride.
'Junkhearts' is a great story.
Hollywood has given me a great, warm hug.
I've been acting since I was 5 years old, from primary school to secondary school, did training at drama school, which was the big thing for me because they trained me, put me out into the industry.
I know my movies. I love my movies.
I'm a Michael Bay fanatic.
You know, urban culture is fun; it's lovely.
I'm a comic reader and a manga fan.
Like any other actor, my agent called me with an opportunity. It just so happens that the opportunity was the lead in 'Star Wars.'
I'm grounded in who I am, and I am a confident black man. A confident, Nigerian, black, chocolate man. I'm proud of my heritage, and no man can take that away from me.
Finn is just a stormtrooper, and stormtroopers are no longer clones, so they are bred from birth to fight. He's not too sure about it, so he escapes and meets Rey and Poe and BB8, and their stories kind of mesh together, and they go on a major adventure.
Finn doesn't have as much respect for Han's legacy as everybody else does, and Han finds that a bit charming. They team up and go on a mission together. The banter is very choppy, and the dialogue is pretty funny. Chewie enjoys the banter and the friction between the two, but they definitely have each other's backs.
All the films I've done have had a secret commentary on stereotypical mentalities.
It's always great to play a character that goes against the grain. Finn defies what people think when they think of stormtroopers.
I think 'Star Wars' always has to be bigger and bigger and better every time, and there's a great cast on 'The Force Awakens.' It's ground-breaking.
My earliest vivid memory would be my Nigerian mother. She would wrap me on her back. I remember being on her back a lot. It felt like a ride, like I was riding a dinosaur; going everywhere and seeing everything.
I love my jackets and good tailoring. I love the designs and the colour.
When I was in primary school, I was given a five-line script in 'Anansi the Spider Man,' and I decided to just improv and make it my own. For a second, I felt like Kevin Hart because everyone was laughing. I just continued to do it. Why not?
My friends and family are not really fixated on the specifics of 'Star Wars.' My parents don't know anything about 'Star Wars.' They've never watched a 'Star Wars' film.
People of color and women are increasingly being shown on-screen. For things to be whitewashed just doesn't make sense.
We see through the eyes of children that they're not talking about race the way we grown folks are. They're not talking about color or how much melanin is in someone's skin.
My stormtrooper suit would chip underneath the armpits and in between the thighs. So they had to do a lot of editing for my costume and shave some areas down.
I'm having so much fun, because you know what? They cast a Star Wars fan in a Star Wars movie. Biiiiiig mistake!
Despite that it's 'Star Wars' and how huge it is, it's still work to me, and that element of things grounds you, especially from nerding out a few times. Although, some days I can't control myself.
I think for me, wearing the helmet and being part of the Stormtroopers felt so strange. Like, so this is what it feels like to just be one of the many. And to look the same, and to have to do the same thing. To be under the same orders. This is what it feels like.