UK GQ October 2020 : John Boyega by Danny Kasirye

[TommysBaby]

The new Star Wars did put greater emphasis on the White stars though. The treatment that Kelly Marie Tran's character and his got was pretty much rooted in tokenism. Especially during the third installment where JJ Abrams attempted to please the toxic fandom more than doing their characters justice. I thought that was something that the forum would understand given the ubiquitous argument that y'all are tired of seeing diversity for the sake of ticking the box of answering to today's zeitgeist. Well, what Boyega wanted was exactly what y'all have been voicing here as well. He wanted a role that was meatier and more nuanced than what Disney provided him with. Just like y'all wanted to see diversity being presented in a more fashion manner and not some SJW-centric pandering, right?

I think people find the talk of race crass in itself. "Why do you gotta bring race into all this" vibe with a sprinkle of "Just be happy that you got a chance at all and know your place".

 

[KoV]

The new Star Wars did put greater emphasis on the White stars though. The treatment that Kelly Marie Tran's character and his got was pretty much rooted in tokenism. Especially during the third installment where JJ Abrams attempted to please the toxic fandom more than doing their characters justice. I thought that was something that the forum would understand given the ubiquitous argument that y'all are tired of seeing diversity for the sake of ticking the box of answering to today's zeitgeist. Well, what Boyega wanted was exactly what y'all have been voicing here as well. He wanted a role that was meatier and more nuanced than what Disney provided him with. Just like y'all wanted to see diversity being presented in a more fashion manner and not some SJW-centric pandering, right?

Here's what John says about J.J. Abrams, the incredibly powerful and influential white Hollywood insider dude who *wrote*, *produced* , and *directed* The Last Jedi as well as The Force Awakens: "Everybody needs to leave my boy alone. He wasn’t even supposed to come back and try to save your sh*t." He is defending the very man who would be responsible for him being sidelined. As I said earlier in this thread, make it make sense.

He seems to be operating under the belief that Finn, not Rey, was meant to be the lead character. It was very clear from the first film that Finn is one of the leading characters (and, as I said earlier, has the second most screentime out of anyone in the trilogy and significantly more screentime than Adam Driver in all three films) and serves as a surrogate for the audience. In fact, he's my favorite character in the trilogy. Rey, however, is *the* lead and her story arc is the central story arc of the trilogy. The "who is she" debate is basically what they banked on to get people to see the third film after the 2nd was not well received (for the record, the 2nd is my favorite). It's not that Finn was sidelined, it's that it was always primarily Rey's story. Harrison Ford didn't go around dissing Star Wars because Luke, not Han, had the central arc. Also, this is Star Wars. Not exactly super compelling, nuanced, character-driven stuff. John's character got to be the audience surrogate, had a compelling character arc as a conscientious objector turned rebel leader and ultimately a hero on multiple occasions, got 2 love interests, fight scenes, his own subplots, and his own antagonist. Daisy Ridley's character was widely criticized as underdeveloped and a "Mary-Sue". Any praise Adam Driver's character got was largely due to his performance, not to the material he was provided. His character was mocked, meme'd, and disliked after the first film.

"I'm the only cast member whose experience of Star Wars was based on their race" is the quote by John that opens the article and sets the tone for what follows, and it reeks of self-centeredness. It is blatantly dismissive of every other BIPOC cast member in the Star Wars franchise. Even if every word he said about being sidelined were to be taken at face value, I wonder what his Rise of Skywalker costars (Billy Dee Williams, Lupita Nyong'o, Naomi Ackie, Kelly Marie Tran, Samuel L Jackson) or cast members from other Star Wars films/series (Donald Glover, Thandie Newton, Carl Weathers, Giancarlo Esposito, etc.) have to say about that. This does not feel like he's advocating for equitable storytelling and casting in films, it feels like he is bitter about not being *the* lead in the Star Wars trilogy, that he didn't get more lightsaber time. And yes, considering he was plucked from relative obscurity, given one of the leading roles, made millions (I assume), achieved global fame, a massive platform, opened doors to future projects, etc. his comments just seem arrogant and entitled. Hollywood is racially insensitive at best, racist as hell at worst. I'm not opposed to actors of Color speaking up, I don't think anyone here is. I certainly have no criticism towards what Viola Davis had to say about The Help in the August issue of Vanity Fair. I found Thandie Newton's hard truths about race in Hollywood and in the film Crash, in her recent New York mag interview, to be enlightening and compelling. I find much of what John says in his interview about his negative/racist experiences with a stylist, his dad being profiled by police, etc. compelling too. When it comes to his Star Wars comments, however, what I think we have here is an incredibly privileged young millionaire actor using the spotlight afforded to him by the BLM movement not to lift up other Black voices, but to lend credibility to his complaints about only being the 2nd biggest character in one of the biggest, most popular film series ever.

 

[Deleted member 1957]

He's not the most photogenic person it seems or maybe its the hairstyle, the cover and editorial just dont look nice unfortunately still a coup for GQ since he's trending in the press and still an A lister.

 

[Serend1pity]

Here's what John says about J.J. Abrams, the incredibly powerful and influential white Hollywood insider dude who *wrote*, *produced* , and *directed* The Last Jedi as well as The Force Awakens: "Everybody needs to leave my boy alone. He wasn’t even supposed to come back and try to save your sh*t." He is defending the very man who would be responsible for him being sidelined. As I said earlier in this thread, make it make sense.

He seems to be operating under the belief that Finn, not Rey, was meant to be the lead character. It was very clear from the first film that Finn is one of the leading characters (and, as I said earlier, has the second most screentime out of anyone in the trilogy and significantly more screentime than Adam Driver in all three films) and serves as a surrogate for the audience. In fact, he's my favorite character in the trilogy. Rey, however, is *the* lead and her story arc is the central story arc of the trilogy. The "who is she" debate is basically what they banked on to get people to see the third film after the 2nd was not well received (for the record, the 2nd is my favorite). It's not that Finn was sidelined, it's that it was always primarily Rey's story. Harrison Ford didn't go around dissing Star Wars because Luke, not Han, had the central arc. Also, this is Star Wars. Not exactly super compelling, nuanced, character-driven stuff. John's character got to be the audience surrogate, had a compelling character arc as a conscientious objector turned rebel leader and ultimately a hero on multiple occasions, got 2 love interests, fight scenes, his own subplots, and his own antagonist. Daisy Ridley's character was widely criticized as underdeveloped and a "Mary-Sue". Any praise Adam Driver's character got was largely due to his performance, not to the material he was provided. His character was mocked, meme'd, and disliked after the first film.

"I'm the only cast member whose experience of Star Wars was based on their race" is the quote by John that opens the article and sets the tone for what follows, and it reeks of self-centeredness. It is blatantly dismissive of every other BIPOC cast member in the Star Wars franchise. Even if every word he said about being sidelined were to be taken at face value, I wonder what his Rise of Skywalker costars (Billy Dee Williams, Lupita Nyong'o, Naomi Ackie, Kelly Marie Tran, Samuel L Jackson) or cast members from other Star Wars films/series (Donald Glover, Thandie Newton, Carl Weathers, Giancarlo Esposito, etc.) have to say about that. This does not feel like he's advocating for equitable storytelling and casting in films, it feels like he is bitter about not being *the* lead in the Star Wars trilogy, that he didn't get more lightsaber time. And yes, considering he was plucked from relative obscurity, given one of the leading roles, made millions (I assume), achieved global fame, a massive platform, opened doors to future projects, etc. his comments just seem arrogant and entitled. Hollywood is racially insensitive at best, racist as hell at worst. I'm not opposed to actors of Color speaking up, I don't think anyone here is. I certainly have no criticism towards what Viola Davis had to say about The Help in the August issue of Vanity Fair. I found Thandie Newton's hard truths about race in Hollywood and in the film Crash, in her recent New York mag interview, to be enlightening and compelling. I find much of what John says in his interview about his negative/racist experiences with a stylist, his dad being profiled by police, etc. compelling too. When it comes to his Star Wars comments, however, what I think we have here is an incredibly privileged young millionaire actor using the spotlight afforded to him by the BLM movement not to lift up other Black voices, but to lend credibility to his complaints about only being the 2nd biggest character in one of the biggest, most popular film series ever.

This entire take especially the last line STINKS. You may as well have just said I’m sick of people bringing up race. No his point was literally that he was pushed by Disney consistently as being a lead character because he is a black man but that was not the case especially in the last film where he was sidelined. They used him to look good, the end.

 

[Serend1pity]

Here's what John says about J.J. Abrams, the incredibly powerful and influential white Hollywood insider dude who *wrote*, *produced* , and *directed* The Last Jedi as well as The Force Awakens: "Everybody needs to leave my boy alone. He wasn’t even supposed to come back and try to save your sh*t." He is defending the very man who would be responsible for him being sidelined. As I said earlier in this thread, make it make sense.

He seems to be operating under the belief that Finn, not Rey, was meant to be the lead character. It was very clear from the first film that Finn is one of the leading characters (and, as I said earlier, has the second most screentime out of anyone in the trilogy and significantly more screentime than Adam Driver in all three films) and serves as a surrogate for the audience. In fact, he's my favorite character in the trilogy. Rey, however, is *the* lead and her story arc is the central story arc of the trilogy. The "who is she" debate is basically what they banked on to get people to see the third film after the 2nd was not well received (for the record, the 2nd is my favorite). It's not that Finn was sidelined, it's that it was always primarily Rey's story. Harrison Ford didn't go around dissing Star Wars because Luke, not Han, had the central arc. Also, this is Star Wars. Not exactly super compelling, nuanced, character-driven stuff. John's character got to be the audience surrogate, had a compelling character arc as a conscientious objector turned rebel leader and ultimately a hero on multiple occasions, got 2 love interests, fight scenes, his own subplots, and his own antagonist. Daisy Ridley's character was widely criticized as underdeveloped and a "Mary-Sue". Any praise Adam Driver's character got was largely due to his performance, not to the material he was provided. His character was mocked, meme'd, and disliked after the first film.

"I'm the only cast member whose experience of Star Wars was based on their race" is the quote by John that opens the article and sets the tone for what follows, and it reeks of self-centeredness. It is blatantly dismissive of every other BIPOC cast member in the Star Wars franchise. Even if every word he said about being sidelined were to be taken at face value, I wonder what his Rise of Skywalker costars (Billy Dee Williams, Lupita Nyong'o, Naomi Ackie, Kelly Marie Tran, Samuel L Jackson) or cast members from other Star Wars films/series (Donald Glover, Thandie Newton, Carl Weathers, Giancarlo Esposito, etc.) have to say about that. This does not feel like he's advocating for equitable storytelling and casting in films, it feels like he is bitter about not being *the* lead in the Star Wars trilogy, that he didn't get more lightsaber time. And yes, considering he was plucked from relative obscurity, given one of the leading roles, made millions (I assume), achieved global fame, a massive platform, opened doors to future projects, etc. his comments just seem arrogant and entitled. Hollywood is racially insensitive at best, racist as hell at worst. I'm not opposed to actors of Color speaking up, I don't think anyone here is. I certainly have no criticism towards what Viola Davis had to say about The Help in the August issue of Vanity Fair. I found Thandie Newton's hard truths about race in Hollywood and in the film Crash, in her recent New York mag interview, to be enlightening and compelling. I find much of what John says in his interview about his negative/racist experiences with a stylist, his dad being profiled by police, etc. compelling too. When it comes to his Star Wars comments, however, what I think we have here is an incredibly privileged young millionaire actor using the spotlight afforded to him by the BLM movement not to lift up other Black voices, but to lend credibility to his complaints about only being the 2nd biggest character in one of the biggest, most popular film series ever.

Please rethink the way you frame things. Especially this idea that him speaking out about his minimised role makes him entitled as if he should just sit silent like a sheep and be a good little boy. It’s patronising and reeks

 

[KoV]

This entire take especially the last line STINKS. You may as well have just said I’m sick of people bringing up race. No his point was literally that he was pushed by Disney consistently as being a lead character because he is a black man but that was not the case especially in the last film where he was sidelined. They used him to look good, the end.

Did you watch the movies? He IS one of the lead characters, it is an objective fact that he has more screen time than any other cast member in the trilogy, excepting Daisy Ridley, who was *always* the most central character in all of the films. This was not a bait and switch. That doesn’t diminish John’s role or his character, who remains a leading character throughout all 3 films. Even in the third film, where his role is arguably less central, he still has more screen time than anyone other than Daisy and his “brother from Guatemala” Oscar Isaac, he complains about Adam Driver’s role being positioned above his, yet it is an objective fact, not a matter of opinion, that John has significantly more screen time than Adam in *all three films*. I am not singling John out because he is Black and I except him to be grateful for a seat at the table, I’m criticizing him because his argument is inaccurate, misleading, and self-serving. And I say that as a fan of the films, his character, and his performance. No one has actually addressed any of my arguments, instead they’re choosing to make vague insinuations. I have backed up my opinion with facts, explained how his quote sidelines and ignores the numerous other BIPOC Star Wars cast members. What do you have to say about that? Is that not indicative of self-serving rather than altruistic motivations? This is not about criticizing Black actors who call out racism in Hollywood (again, Thandie Newton and Viola Davis have done so) this is about my perception, based on the facts, that John is misdirecting criticism based on personal disappointment over the direction of his character, and doing so in an arrogant and self-serving manner. This is the same guy who was tweeting memes mocking Adam and Daisy’s characters’ romance, talking about “laying the pipe” on Daisy’s character, and belittling and mocking people, including POC, who tried calling him out on what they perceived as his misogyny.

 

[Serend1pity]

Did you watch the movies? He IS one of the lead characters, it is an objective fact that he has more screen time than any other cast member in the trilogy, excepting Daisy Ridley, who was *always* the most central character in all of the films. This was not a bait and switch. That doesn’t diminish John’s role or his character, who remains a leading character throughout all 3 films. Even in the third film, where his role is arguably less central, he still has more screen time than anyone other than Daisy and his “brother from Guatemala” Oscar Isaac, he complains about Adam Driver’s role being positioned above his, yet it is an objective fact, not a matter of opinion, that John has significantly more screen time than Adam in *all three films*. I am not singling John out because he is Black and I except him to be grateful for a seat at the table, I’m criticizing him because his argument is inaccurate, misleading, and self-serving. And I say that as a fan of the films, his character, and his performance. No one has actually addressed any of my arguments, instead they’re choosing to make vague insinuations. I have backed up my opinion with facts, explained how his quote sidelines and ignores the numerous other BIPOC Star Wars cast members. What do you have to say about that? Is that not indicative of self-serving rather than altruistic motivations? This is not about criticizing Black actors who call out racism in Hollywood (again, Thandie Newton and Viola Davis have done so) this is about my perception, based on the facts, that John is misdirecting criticism based on personal disappointment over the direction of his character, and doing so in an arrogant and self-serving manner. This is the same guy who was tweeting memes mocking Adam and Daisy’s characters’ romance, talking about “laying the pipe” on Daisy’s character, and belittling and mocking people, including POC, who tried calling him out on what they perceived as his misogyny.

What he has said is not outlandish though in fact most people agree that he was clearly sidelined in the final film. Oh and no, no one thought that was misogyny; as a black woman I can tell you the only one pushing that narrative was ww. I think you’ve got a personal issue with him but it’s not a good look to be silencing black people and labelling them greedy and self-serving for highlighting how race has affected them. Because whether you might think so or not the point is that Disney used him as a face to make them seem more inclusive when that is not and was not the reality

 

[Phuel]

Rather than show some humility for those (White) individuals that have given him a wealth of opportunities and privileges and made him a mainstream name, he’d rather groan and accuse the industry as a racist whole. That’s the equivalent of someone still believing that all Black people are gang members and/or on welfare when their mentors that gave them the chance and opportunity to be successful are Black: how ignorant would such a perspective be??? But somehow his ignorant and racist generalization is applauded and supported (and of course gets a coverline on the cover of that dishrag American GQ). I guess some really do believe in these broad sweeping generalizations of White people when they shout down others for making such ignorant generalizations of the Black population.

The SW franchise is not his alone. To assume so is extremely arrogant and simply ignorant. What’s beyond insufferable is that he thinks and feels he was sidelined from being the promised lead star, when the SW franchise has long ceased to be about the actors and all about the SFX/CGI/aliens/creatures/designs: Kelly Marie Tran will never be seen in a commercial film ever again; Jake Lloyd left the industry when he was 10yo because no agency would represent him due to his role as little Anakin in SW— along with relentless schoolyard bullying from kids (and online bullying by adults); Ahmed Best never found work in the industry after debuting as Jar Jar; Hayden Christiansen only worked sparingly in low-budget films and in China after SW when he was a promising new face and won a Golden Globe pre-SW; and even Natalie Portman admitted she had to fight to convince directors to audition for after her SW association; Solo’s Alden Ehrenreich has not been heard again since that awful movie rightfully bombed. Even Daisy Ridlley admitted she has had no offers and was rejected in auditions after finishing the awful sequel. And even the Original Trilogy’s stars flopped in their Hollywood career: Carrie Fisher became a writer and Mark Hamill works as a voice actor. And no one's bellyaching in the manner that he has. Only Harrison Ford has had a successful film career. What makes John so special…??? The Sequel Trilogy he was a part of is horrendous filmmaking from start to finish— from sloppy writing to aimless directing. No one walked away from that mess unscathed: Everyone was terrible in it. He was terrible in it. But at least he was given the opportunities and the privileges that are only afforded to the elite few to become a blockbuster “star” when he really isn’t particularly talented nor exceptional. But of course blame it on anti-Black racism because that’s the intellectually-dishonest narrative that rags like GQ encourage of its privileged celebrities because this is what sells to the masses and GQ makes bank.

 

[Serend1pity]

Rather than show some humility for those (White) individuals that have given him a wealth of opportunities and privileges and made him a mainstream name, he’d rather groan and accuse the industry as a racist whole. That’s the equivalent of someone still believing that all Black people are gang members and/or on welfare when their mentors that gave them the chance and opportunity to be successful are Black: how ignorant would such a perspective be??? But somehow his ignorant and racist generalization is applauded and supported (and of course gets a coverline on the cover of that dishrag American GQ). I guess some really do believe in these broad sweeping generalizations of White people when they shout down others for making such ignorant generalizations of the Black population.

The SW franchise is not his alone. To assume so is extremely arrogant and simply ignorant. What’s beyond insufferable is that he thinks and feels he was sidelined from being the promised lead star, when the SW franchise has long ceased to be about the actors and all about the SFX/CGI/aliens/creatures/designs: Kelly Marie Tran will never be seen in a commercial film ever again; Jake Lloyd left the industry when he was 10yo because no agency would represent him due to his role as little Anakin in SW— along with relentless schoolyard bullying from kids (and online bullying by adults); Ahmed Best never found work in the industry after debuting as Jar Jar; Hayden Christiansen only worked sparingly in low-budget films and in China after SW when he was a promising new face and won a Golden Globe pre-SW; and even Natalie Portman admitted she had to fight to convince directors to audition for after her SW association; Solo’s Alden Ehrenreich has not been heard again since that awful movie rightfully bombed. Even Daisy Ridlley admitted she has had no offers and was rejected in auditions after finishing the awful sequel. And even the Original Trilogy’s stars flopped in their Hollywood career: Carrie Fisher became a writer and Mark Hamill works as a voice actor. And no one's bellyaching in the manner that he has. Only Harrison Ford has had a successful film career. What makes John so special…??? The Sequel Trilogy he was a part of is horrendous filmmaking from start to finish— from sloppy writing to aimless directing. No one walked away from that mess unscathed: Everyone was terrible in it. He was terrible in it. But at least he was given the opportunities and the privileges that are only afforded to the elite few to become a blockbuster “star” when he really isn’t particularly talented nor exceptional. But of course blame it on anti-Black racism because that’s the intellectually-dishonest narrative that rags like GQ encourage of its privileged celebrities because this is what sells to the masses and GQ makes bank.

The first paragraph... I can’t imagine being so unintelligent on the subject of race that you would say something as dismissive and ridiculous as that or do you mean tot be offensive? Either way I think you’d comments are uncalled for.

this entire thread is why black peoples don’t speak out in acting, fashion, etc. because you are silenced and invalidated

 

[Serend1pity]

Rather than show some humility for those (White) individuals that have given him a wealth of opportunities and privileges and made him a mainstream name, he’d rather groan and accuse the industry as a racist whole. That’s the equivalent of someone still believing that all Black people are gang members and/or on welfare when their mentors that gave them the chance and opportunity to be successful are Black: how ignorant would such a perspective be??? But somehow his ignorant and racist generalization is applauded and supported (and of course gets a coverline on the cover of that dishrag American GQ). I guess some really do believe in these broad sweeping generalizations of White people when they shout down others for making such ignorant generalizations of the Black population.

The SW franchise is not his alone. To assume so is extremely arrogant and simply ignorant. What’s beyond insufferable is that he thinks and feels he was sidelined from being the promised lead star, when the SW franchise has long ceased to be about the actors and all about the SFX/CGI/aliens/creatures/designs: Kelly Marie Tran will never be seen in a commercial film ever again; Jake Lloyd left the industry when he was 10yo because no agency would represent him due to his role as little Anakin in SW— along with relentless schoolyard bullying from kids (and online bullying by adults); Ahmed Best never found work in the industry after debuting as Jar Jar; Hayden Christiansen only worked sparingly in low-budget films and in China after SW when he was a promising new face and won a Golden Globe pre-SW; and even Natalie Portman admitted she had to fight to convince directors to audition for after her SW association; Solo’s Alden Ehrenreich has not been heard again since that awful movie rightfully bombed. Even Daisy Ridlley admitted she has had no offers and was rejected in auditions after finishing the awful sequel. And even the Original Trilogy’s stars flopped in their Hollywood career: Carrie Fisher became a writer and Mark Hamill works as a voice actor. And no one's bellyaching in the manner that he has. Only Harrison Ford has had a successful film career. What makes John so special…??? The Sequel Trilogy he was a part of is horrendous filmmaking from start to finish— from sloppy writing to aimless directing. No one walked away from that mess unscathed: Everyone was terrible in it. He was terrible in it. But at least he was given the opportunities and the privileges that are only afforded to the elite few to become a blockbuster “star” when he really isn’t particularly talented nor exceptional. But of course blame it on anti-Black racism because that’s the intellectually-dishonest narrative that rags like GQ encourage of its privileged celebrities because this is what sells to the masses and GQ makes bank.

Also he’s not accusing the industry of being racist, he’s stating facts it is. And it may upset you to hear people saying things like “white people are racist” but it’s the truth. You may not individually believe you are racist but every day you are not trying to be anti-racist and dismantle a society which affords white people privileged over others, you are complicit in keeping it alive.

 

[KoV]

What he has said is not outlandish though in fact most people agree that he was clearly sidelined in the final film. Oh and no, no one thought that was misogyny; as a black woman I can tell you the only one pushing that narrative was ww. I think you’ve got a personal issue with him but it’s not a good look to be silencing black people and labelling them greedy and self-serving for highlighting how race has affected them. Because whether you might think so or not the point is that Disney used him as a face to make them seem more inclusive when that is not and was not the reality

Understood. While I disagree on the assessment that his character (the most relatable, funny, and "human" character in a trilogy stuffed with underwritten characters) is sidelined or an example of tokenism on Disney's part and though I find that the way some of his statements are framed in the article makes them come off as self-centered, I obviously lack the perspective John has as a) someone who actually worked on the films in question and b) as a Black actor navigating Hollywood. It's possible to disagree with him on points without undercutting his experience and perspective. And in my overzealous rush to defend my original hot take, I spoke dismissively and ignorantly. Not my place to be making a judgement call on whether his claims of racism are valid or not.

 

[YohjiAddict]

Honest to god I've never seen Star Wars and just by reading the things people said about the last movie I believe it's obvious why apart from Adam Driver none of the actores featured will achieve much after them. Those movies are vile and the very opposite of what a serious actor should be pursuing, enjoy the check though...

 

[[Piece Of Me]]

Honest to god I've never seen Star Wars and just by reading the things people said about the last movie I believe it's obvious why apart from Adam Driver none of the actores featured will achieve much after them. Those movies are vile and the very opposite of what a serious actor should be pursuing, enjoy the check though...

Except for the fact Oscaar Isaac is already an acclaimed actor who will continue to do well, as will Naomi Eckie who is fabulous. Also interesting to call a movie 'vile' without ever having seen any of the movies...

 

[Phuel]

Honest to god I've never seen Star Wars and just by reading the things people said about the last movie I believe it's obvious why apart from Adam Driver none of the actores featured will achieve much after them. Those movies are vile and the very opposite of what a serious actor should be pursuing, enjoy the check though...

LOL You are so much better for having never bothered with this franchise. This Sequel is beyond vile: It's a directionless, soulless cash grab that leeches off the Original Trilogy with so much insufferable virtue signalling and no story.

Actors absolutely do SW for the visibility because even Laura Dern, Benicio del Toro and Oscar Isaac were equally horrible in the Sequel, with Adam Driver unwatchable as a hulking bratty manbaby. I do highly recommend Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (with a very good cast with Felicity Jones and Diego Luna as understatedly damaged people). And if you enjoyed it, then The Empire Strikes Back has a similar and mature tone. And I highly enjoyed The Phantom Menace for its designs and costumes. There’s a potentially good story there somewhere— but George Lucas is an awful writer and director. And of course not intentional, but he singlehandedly ruined the careers of Jake Lloyd, Ahmed Best, Hayden Christiansen and as Natalie Portman said, “Star Wars nearly destroyed my career”— and I believe her. George is the modern-day Ed Wood.

(John has every right to speak out of his experience on the wretched SW franchise— including his unfortunate experience with racism/discrimination; It’s a very real evil for everybody. Just do it in a manner that doesn’t showcase your own ego/arrogance/entitlement/ignorance and racism. And as far as I’m concerned, he has every right to be openly bigoted and racist with “I’m not interested in any movie that doesn’t have a Black character in it” [imagine that being said by anyone— any other POC but Black and ask yourself if that even remotely sounds acceptable…], or reveal his over-inflated ego by expecting to be the lead in a franchise that’s always been about an ensemble cast. But when he accuses everyone of racism and displays racists actions himself, then his criticisms of a racism and integrity towards the Disney corporation just doesn’t come across as poignant. You know, treat others as you’d like others to treat you. But apparently there are people that agree with him and find his attitude completely acceptable. And I’m the one who’s ignorant LOL)

 

[Serend1pity]

LOL You are so much better for having never bothered with this franchise. This Sequel is beyond vile: It's a directionless, soulless cash grab that leeches off the Original Trilogy with so much insufferable virtue signalling and no story.

Actors absolutely do SW for the visibility because even Laura Dern, Benicio del Toro and Oscar Isaac were equally horrible in the Sequel, with Adam Driver unwatchable as a hulking bratty manbaby. I do highly recommend Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (with a very good cast with Felicity Jones and Diego Luna as understatedly damaged people). And if you enjoyed it, then The Empire Strikes Back has a similar and mature tone. And I highly enjoyed The Phantom Menace for its designs and costumes. There’s a potentially good story there somewhere— but George Lucas is an awful writer and director. And of course not intentional, but he singlehandedly ruined the careers of Jake Lloyd, Ahmed Best, Hayden Christiansen and as Natalie Portman said, “Star Wars nearly destroyed my career”— and I believe her. George is the modern-day Ed Wood.

(John has every right to speak out of his experience on the wretched SW franchise— including his unfortunate experience with racism/discrimination; It’s a very real evil for everybody. Just do it in a manner that doesn’t showcase your own ego/arrogance/entitlement/ignorance and racism. And as far as I’m concerned, he has every right to be openly bigoted and racist with “I’m not interested in any movie that doesn’t have a Black character in it” [imagine that being said by anyone— any other POC but Black and ask yourself if that even remotely sounds acceptable…], or reveal his over-inflated ego by expecting to be the lead in a franchise that’s always been about an ensemble cast. But when he accuses everyone of racism and displays racists actions himself, then his criticisms of a racism and integrity towards the Disney corporation just doesn’t come across as poignant. You know, treat others as you’d like others to treat you. But apparently there are people that agree with him and find his attitude completely acceptable. And I’m the one who’s ignorant LOL)

You sound like you’re almost jealous that black people can be reverse “racist” and you can’t. Saying you are not interested in watching something if there are no black characters out of a whole cast of hundreds of people should not be controversial. In fact it isn’t but you’re clearly of an interesting mindset so I’ll leave it at that.

To sum up, “yes call out racism but don’t do it any way that shows confidence or get too uppity” LOL