John Boyega is quite a well-known actor, known for his roles in the critically acclaimed movie, The Woman King, The Circle, Breaking, and most famously for his role in the Star Wars franchise, playing the character of Finn. He has starred in three movies from this franchise.
During an interview with The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Boyega revealed some very interesting information about how he ended up getting his biggest role in one of the biggest franchises.
Also Read: Idris Elba, John Boyega or Jonathan Majors? James Gunn’s Mister Terrific Project Reportedly a Go
John Boyega Ignored J.J. Abrams When He First Saw Him
J.J. Abrams is an incredibly well-respected filmmaker, known for his work in major franchises like Star Wars, Star Trek, and Mission Impossible. During this interview, John Boyega released details about his first encounter with Abrams. When the British actor met the filmmaker for the first time, he was with the A-list actor, Tom Cruise. Abrams complimented Boyega on his work in the 2011 movie, Attack The Block, and added that he would love to find something that they can work on together.
“J.J. Abrams stops me and goes ‘I loved you in ‘Attack the Block,’ I’m going to find you something,'” John Boyega explained on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “Now in Hollywood, they always say they’re going to find you something, it’s never really true. So I’m thinking, ‘Move away little man that’s Tom Cruise.'”
While Abrams was trying to make acquaintance with the actor, it would seem that Boyega was too busy being star-struck by Cruise. The Woman King star ended up completely ignoring the filmmaker, not believing his intentions to be legitimate.
John Boyega Got Into Star Wars Because of J.J Abrams After Ignoring Him During Their First Encounter
After this run-in, to John Boyega’s surprise, J.J. Abrams stayed true to his promise to the actor and cast him in his 2015 movie, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He went on to joke in this interview about how he was unaware that Abrams would be one of the reasons for his career in the Star Wars franchise. Abrams was actually a big fan of Boyega’s work in Attack the Block, which is one of the reasons why he cast him in the franchise.
“Little did I know my ignorant self. Little did I know that that guy was gonna come through and give me some Star Wars magic.” He joked.
It would also turn out that Boyega would have another encounter with Tom Cruise after being cast in Star Wars. The British star ran into Cruise at the Bafta Awards where The Mission Impossible actor asked him about his role, to which Boyega replied happily.
Source: IMDb
