John Boyega Is on His Own Hero’s Journey

As Star Wars concludes, the actor is using his starpower to thrust Hollywood into new territory. HYPEBEAST Features - Go in-depth and learn more about the culture. [HYPEBEAST]( [Features]( December 13, 2019 [John Boyega Is on His Own Hero’s Journey]( As Star Wars concludes, the actor is using his starpower to thrust Hollywood into new territory. Ricardo Rivera/HYPEBEAST John Boyega's first foray into Hollywood was with arguably the biggest film franchise on Earth: Star Wars. To land a role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the then-22-year-old actor endured a tumultuous casting process that lasted for months on end. But Boyega came out on top with a co-lead role as a former Stormtrooper simply named Finn. To say Boyega’s entire career hinged on the success of The Force Awakens would be an understatement. The J.J. Abrams-led production was the first Star Wars film since George Lucas’ critically-mixed prequel films, and the first since Lucas sold the franchise rights to Disney. Leading up to its release in 2015, The Force Awakens carried the legacy of a global phenomenon on its shoulders, with Boyega very much at the center. But Boyega earned his stripes. The film garnered $2 billion USD worldwide at the box office, transforming Boyega into a young Padawan within the film industry. His next projects in 2017, The Circle and Detroit, would serve to showcase his merit in Hollywood before his second Star Wars joint, The Last Jedi, arrived later that same year. That film would go on to split the Star Wars community for its changes to the lore, with even Mark Hamill sharing his qualms about the arc of his character, Luke Skywalker. Nonetheless, Rian Johnson’s film earned an impressive $1.3 billion USD in the global box office. Ricardo Rivera/HYPEBEAST That year became the actor’s Jedi Trials, which, for those not versed in Star Wars lore, serve as a series of tests and tribulations that results in one being recognized as a full-fledged Jedi Knight. The actor then earned his first producer credit in 2018’s Pacific Rim: Uprising, in which he also starred. Finally, at the turn of a new decade, John Boyega will be seen for the first time as a fully-realized figure in Hollywood with the launch of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker later this month. At the same time, the film will function as the final installment of the core Star Wars series (for the foreseeable future at least). It will also mark the start of a new beginning for Boyega as he leaves behind the role that made his mark in the industry. The banter, the bickering, the undercover romances that then manifest an epic moment. That for me is Star Wars. Now that Boyega has made his hero’s journey through the Star Wars franchise, he possesses the starpower to not only secure more leading roles, but also position himself in Hollywood to act as a producer as well. The 27-year-old actor is looking to cement his feet in projects that can recontextualize the traditional stories moviegoers have come to love. Of course, playing Finn for the last four years means the actor isn’t without lingering attachments to the character. “Playing Finn has been a journey,” Boyega tells HYPEBEAST. “Definitely at times, very, very stressful in terms of the commitment, the work ethic is different for any Star Wars film or any film of that magnitude actually, which was definitely something that I had to adjust to. But playing Finn, it's been fun to play the most human guy in Star Wars.” [READ THE FULL ARTICLE ON HYPEBEAST →]( [banner](   [More HYPEBEAST Features]( [[8 Drops You Don't Want to Miss This Week] [FASHION]( [8 Drops You Don't Want to Miss This Week]( [[Street Etiquette's Travis Gumbs Shows Dancer Rie Hata the Non-Conformist Attitude of New York Style] [ARTS]( [In Conversation With Futura]( [Get The App Free on iOS and Android]( Follow --------------------------------------------------------------- 2019 HYPEBEAST Limited. All Rights Reserved [Manage Subscriptions]( You are receiving this email because you have subscribed to HYPEBEAST's marketing emails. You can unsubscribe from us any time by clicking [here](. It may take 48 hours to complete the unsubscribe process. Contact subscription@hypebeast.com for assistance on any enquiries. Our Mailing Address: HYPEBEAST, 10F, KC 100, 100 Kwai Cheong Road, Kwai Chung, Hong Kong