The Star Wars franchise is iconic. It's made billions of dollars at the box office globally and has been a dominant force in mainstream pop culture since A New Hope's debut in 1977. However, throughout its time in the spotlight, the series hasn't treated its characters of color--and the actors that play them--exceptionally well.

　　In an interview at GQ with John Boyega, who played Finn in Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker, the actor and activist spoke out about his treatment while working on the films because of his race. "I'm the only cast member who had their own unique experience of that franchise based on their race," Boyega said. "Let's just leave it like that. It makes you angry with a process like that. It makes you much more militant; it changes you. Because you realise, 'I got given this opportunity but I’m in an industry that wasn't even ready for me.' Nobody else in the cast had people saying they were going to boycott the movie because [they were in it]. Nobody else had the uproar and death threats sent to their Instagram DMs and social media, saying, 'Black this and black that and you shouldn't be a Stormtrooper.' Nobody else had that experience. But yet people are surprised that I'm this way. That's my frustration."

　　If you can’t read the full article pls pls let your top lip and bottom lip become one. ❤️

　　— John Boyega (@JohnBoyega) September 2, 2020

　　His concerns about the vocal and racist subset of Star Wars fandom are also visible in the experiences of The Last Jedi star Kelly Marie Tran, who left Instagram, after receiving online abuse in the wake of the film's release. She wrote a piece for the New York Times titled "I Won't Be Marginalized by Online Harassment" delving into her experience of being a woman of color.

　　In 2015's The Force Awakens, Boyega took on the role of Finn, a Stormtrooper who questioned the authority of the First Order. And this character's arc sets up one of Star Wars' most interesting storylines. What if someone who has been trained by a totalitarian government to be a soldier since they were a child had an awakening and realized they were a tool for evil, which ultimately forces them to leave their post?

　　Unfortunately, with the release of 2019's The Rise of Skywalker, Finn's--and Kelly Marie Tran's Rose Tico's--storyline had been swept under the rug and forgotten, as the character had become part of the background. "What I would say to Disney is do not bring out a black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are and then have them pushed to the side," Boyega said. "It's not good.

　　"Like, you guys knew what to do with Daisy Ridley, you knew what to do with Adam Driver. You knew what to do with these other people, but when it came to Kelly Marie Tran, when it came to John Boyega, you know f*** all. So what do you want me to say? What they want you to say is, 'I enjoyed being a part of it. It was a great experience...' Nah, nah, nah. I'll take that deal when it's a great experience. They gave all the nuance to Adam Driver, all the nuance to Daisy Ridley. Let's be honest. Daisy knows this. Adam knows this. Everybody knows. I’m not exposing anything."

　　These conversations and me sharing isn’t about a witch hunt. It’s about clarity to an anger that can be seen as selfish, disruptive and self indulgent. Obviously in hopes of better change.Bruh. In short. I said what I said. Love to you all seriously. Your support is amazing ! ❤️

　　— John Boyega (@JohnBoyega) September 2, 2020

　　Boyega has used his platform to speak out to put the spotlight on problems within equality in Hollywood and in everyday life. In the wake of George Floyd's death, Boyega took to London's Hyde Park during a Black Lives Matter rally to passionately speak out about injustice around the world. "Black lives have always mattered. We have always been important. We have always meant something. We have always succeeded, regardless, and now is the time. I ain't waiting," Boyega said. "Look, I don't know if I'm going to have a career after this. This, today, is about innocent people. We don't know what George Floyd could have achieved, we don't know what Sandra Bland could have achieved, but today we're going to make sure that won't be an alien thought to our young ones."

　　Injustices within Hollywood and real life aren't going to go away on their own, and it is important that people of color share their experiences to give others an idea of the problems they face. Boyega goes into greater detail about his life as a black man and working actor in the GQ story, which we implore you to check out.

　　Mat Elfring on Google+