‘Force Awakens’ Star John Boyega On Managing High Expectations For ‘Star Wars’
With the rumors that have been flying around the Internet about film’s twists and surprises, will Star Wars: The Force Awakens shock and divide fans? We caught up with star John Boyega this morning at the W Hotel in Hollywood where he was co- announcing the nominees for the 2016 Film Independent Indie Spirit Awards. As it happens, the actor, who plays Finn, a former stormtrooper who joins up with the heroes in The Force Awakens, just hopes the film meets what is turning out to be sky-high expectations from fans.
“I think for now, based on what I saw, and based on my experiences on the set, I just don’t know,” Boyega said, throwing his hands up. “This is a discussion I was having with J.J. [Abrams] yesterday and I was just like ‘How are people going to react to this movie?’ But there’s going to be a reaction for sure.” He continued, “I’m going to try to see it as many times as possible with different audiences just to gauge everyone’s opinions of it.”
We don’t doubt that: When the final theatrical trailer for The Force Awakens dropped last month, Boyega was so excited he jumped over a couch. (He posted a Vine of the couch-jump in question to Instagram that went viral almost immediately.)
RelatedJ.J. Abrams’ Big Reveal On ‘Star Wars’ Night At ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’
Boyega first appeared on director JJ Abrams’ radar thanks to his portrayal of Moses in the 2011 British science fiction film Attack The Block.
“Attack The Block screened at the LA film festival and J.J. Abrams saw it and said it was his favorite movie of 2011. Then I went to Bad Robot to meet his producing partner, and then J.J. Abrams and Tom Cruise were walking out of ADR for Mission:Impossible, and he literally stopped me and was like ‘Boyega right? You’re good in Attack The Block, I love that movie, we’re going to get you in something’” Boyega says Abrams contacted him four years later and the rest is history.
Boyega also touched on his future aspirations as a producer and what he observed working alongside heavyweights like Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy. “As an actor, the natural industry move after doing a movie like Star Wars is to just put your name down as a producer” exclaimed Boyega.
“For me, I’m an active person. I like to think of myself as a hard worker and I love to be proactive. Their understandings of their projects and their natural love for it is something that inspires me because it’s a business at the end of the day, but behind that is the foundation of their natural love for it.”
RelatedEmma Stone, Jon Hamm Audition For ‘The Force Awakens’ – ‘Saturday Night Live’
Related stories
'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Gets PG-13 Rating
'The Good Dinosaur' Review: Pixar's Latest Isn't Its Greatest, But Kids Won't Mind
'Star Wars' An Art House Movie? Some French Exhibs Think So, Stoking Indie Producers' Ire
Get more from Deadline.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter
