John Boyega has slammed Game of Thrones for its lack of diversity. The London-born actor – whose parents, Abigail and Samson, are Nigerian – has admitted he doesn’t appreciate the lack of black actors in the HBO fantasy series and the Lord of the Rings movie franchise.
John, who plays Finn in the Star Wars films, said: “There are no black people on Game of Thrones. You don’t see one black person in Lord of the Rings. I ain’t paying money to always see one type of person on-screen! Because you see different people from different backgrounds, different cultures, every day.”
Game of Thrones has actually featured a number of black stars, including Nathalie Emmanuel and DeObia Oparei, but John would clearly like there to be more diversity on screen. Speaking to GQ magazine, he explained: “Even if you’re a racist, you have to live with that. We can ruffle up some feathers!”
Meanwhile, John previously revealed he wants to make a movie in Nigeria. The 25-year-old actor is among the most sought-after names in Hollywood, following his performance in Star Wars: The Force Awakens – but he would love to honour his parents’ heritage by making a movie in the west African country.
John – who starred in Nigerian film Half of a Yellow Sun in 2013 – posted on Twitter: “Doing another movie in Nigeria would be a dream come true. Out of everything achieved this is on my mind!”
John has also treated Star Wars legend Harrison Ford to some Nigerian food while they were filming the 2015 hit The Force Awakens. He previously said: “Harrison is a really great guy and someone who has a very big legacy. In order to break Harrison into the London culture , took him to the Old Kent Road to have some Nigerian food and he loved it.”
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