STAR WARS: John Boyega On Why Finn Isn't Held In Same High Esteem As Original Trilogy Characters

STAR WARS: John Boyega On Why Finn Isn't Held In Same High Esteem As Original Trilogy Characters

Star Wars actor John Boyega once again reflects on his time playing Finn in the sequel trilogy, sharing his take on why Finn and the other leads aren't held in the same high esteem as Luke, Han, and Leia.

By JoshWilding - Jul 13, 2023 05:07 AM EST
Filed Under: Star Wars
Source: Vanity Fair (via SFFGazette.com)

Heading into Star Wars: The Force Awakens, we were under the belief that the movie would tell the story of a former Stormtrooper, Finn, who discovers that he's a Jedi. 

Rey was rumoured to be Han Solo and Princess Leia's secret daughter, though we suspected she might also be connected to the Force somehow. Ultimately, while both characters wielded a lightsaber in the 2015 movie, it was quickly established that Finn wasn't going to head down the same route as his friend. 

The Last Jedi completely wiped away any possibility of Finn being a Jedi, while The Rise of Skywalker saw J.J. Abrams try - and not very well, we might add - to suggest Finn is, in fact, Force-sensitive. 

Actor John Boyega has been vocal in sharing his disappointment with the decisions made by Lucasfilm, though rumours persist he might join Daisy Ridley in filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's upcoming "New Jedi Order" movie. 

During a recent interview with Vanity Fair (via SFFGazette.com), Boyega looked back at the impact playing Finn has had on his career. "When the franchise is done, the question of what you're doing next, what your longevity is, starts to become quite prominent," he says. "And also, when it's Star Wars specifically, you want to not have the Star Wars curse, which is, you don't get to do other roles and are tied to that universe for the rest of your career."

Boyega was also asked about past comments from Carrie Fisher in which she described feeling like Princess Leia's "custodian." However, the actor made it clear he doesn't believe the sequel trilogy characters currently have the right to be held in the same sort of high esteem as her, Luke Skywalker, and Han Solo. 

"I still feel like the new legacy characters can't necessarily claim that yet. I still think that there are the Mark Hamills, Harrison Fords, Carrie Fishers of the world. We haven't necessarily claimed that position yet. But we are following in those footsteps, in a sense. You have to wait. Maybe ask me again when more years pile on.

"I don't think Finn was as hashed out as those characters. I don't know. There's so much open and unanswered about him that at this stage they probably could do whatever. You never know."

It's recently been reported that both Lucasfilm and Ridley are pushing for Boyega's Finn to be part of Obaid-Chinoy's movie. If that is indeed the case, it could give the actor the opportunity to flesh the Resistance fighter out in a more meaningful way, helping to further cement him as a key part of the Star Wars franchise. 

However, with even Rey only expected to be a supporting character in the project, what may be little more than an extended cameo likely won't appeal to Boyega.

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Dingus
Dingus - 7/13/2023, 5:16 AM
In a deleted scene, Finn snuck into reys shower, and stuck his nose on her buttox, and give it a good ole whiff. It never down well, despite how much he tries to laugh it off.
kylo0607
kylo0607 - 7/13/2023, 5:22 AM
OT: Saw M:I Dead Reckoning Part 1 a 2nd time yesterday and it was even better now that I could sit back, relax and comprehend everything that was happening on screen.

Seeing it for a 3rd time tonight.

Amazing film with spectacular visuals as well:











bobevanz
bobevanz - 7/13/2023, 6:06 AM
@kylo0607 - three times? Holy moly lol
kylo0607
kylo0607 - 7/13/2023, 6:45 AM
@bobevanz - AND a 4th time on Saturday, finally in IMAX lol.
mastakilla39
mastakilla39 - 7/13/2023, 8:13 AM
@kylo0607 - No spoilers or details, but does the "cliffhanger" make the movie feel incomplete like Across the spiderverse or does it feel more like a Marvel end credit where it doesn't really matter as much?

Seeing it on Saturday in Imax.
WarMonkey
WarMonkey - 7/13/2023, 8:14 AM
@kylo0607 - I saw it last night and I'm already excited about seeing it again. It was fantastic!
WarMonkey
WarMonkey - 7/13/2023, 8:20 AM
@mastakilla39 - Defiantly not like Across. It has a complete story with a beginning, middle, and end.
kylo0607
kylo0607 - 7/13/2023, 8:42 AM
@mastakilla39 - It's a self-contained story and doesn't abruptly end like Fast X or Across the Spider-verse (where it just cuts to black) at all.

It still ends in a cliffhanger way, but it's a very standalone film, which in retrospection will make it quite re-watchable.
dracula
dracula - 7/13/2023, 5:24 AM
Because despite being pushed as some ground breaking character he ended up with less to do than the black guy in either of the previous trilogy

Lando got had his deal with Vader and got to destroy the second Death star

Windu got a unique lightsaber, killed jango fett and put up a good fight against the emperor

Finn spent 3 movies chasing Rey, yelling Rey and two movies running away, the one scene of his people love isnt even a cool moment for him its for an extra. The always iconic TR-8R

Really does anyone care about any of the sequel trilogy characters. They started off with potential but then they just did nothing interesting.

And yeah Rey, Finn and Poe are no Luke, Han and Leia. They arent even Anakin, Obi Wan and Padme
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 7/13/2023, 5:32 AM
@dracula - “Really does anyone care about any of the sequel trilogy characters”



I atleast think Finn and Poe have potential and I still do like Rey

Kylo was my favorite too but he’s dead so…
LiteralSense
LiteralSense - 7/13/2023, 6:21 AM
@dracula -“his people”?
tylerzero
tylerzero - 7/13/2023, 6:54 AM
@LiteralSense -

WarMonkey
WarMonkey - 7/13/2023, 8:22 AM
@tylerzero - This scene still makes LMFAO all these years later LOL.
dracula
dracula - 7/13/2023, 1:19 PM
@LiteralSense - oops forgot a comma
ProfessorWhy
ProfessorWhy - 7/13/2023, 5:28 AM
It doesn't help when the movies that you are in suck walrus balls
SauronthePower
SauronthePower - 7/13/2023, 7:19 AM
@ProfessorWhy - Game. Set. Match!
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 7/13/2023, 5:30 AM
I personally think Finn was alright as a character and wouldn’t mind seeing more of him honestly …

His arc in TFA to TLJ imo is about him going from commiting to one person (Rey) to to a cause greater then himself , it’s only really TROS that doesn’t do much of anything with him imo besides making him inexplicably Force sensitive ( I guess you could say they was a hint of that in TFA but it needed to be stronger then in hindsight which is true for the sequel trilogy in general )

I still think his arc in “Duel of The Fates” would have been a nice resolution to his story across the three films as he rallies atleast some Stormtroopers like himself to go against the Empire.

Hell in some sort of “What If” scenario , you could have had him lead that same group beyond Ep 9 as some sort of black ops squad or military crew for the new government in which we see him become & wrestle with being a leader

Odin
Odin - 7/13/2023, 5:43 AM
They butchered his storyline completely. Finn had no agency in the over-all story of any movie. He could've been cut from the entire trilogy, and nothing would've really changed. And it is kind of shame too, seeing how Finn, as a turn coat Stormtrooper, actually had a new and interesting set up for a character ark. That thing should've basically written itself, had they put a little thought into it.
But then again, not like other characters got their do either. Sequel trilogy is such a s#!t.
The1st
The1st - 7/13/2023, 7:53 AM
@Odin - Yeah man, it was a certified glorified cash grab. I liked Johnson's film, the "fans" that say Luke disappearing was dumb clearly didn't remember Vader stepping all over Obi-Wan after the same thing in A New Hope. Kylo literally says at the beginning if you do what Luke does you're dead. The Rey stuff only made sense because of what they did in the last film, and Finn was essentially Seven...learning how to be a person after being assimilated into the Empire essentially. Poe, as much as I like Oscar, was the guy that served no real purpose for me...but that's me. Mark has alluded to the fact that Kennedy has been all about moving on from the past, and it had disastrous consequences for the trilogy. I also wish they'd stop referring to the upcoming film as Rey starting a new Jedi order. She clearly knows the order as it existed needs to die, they may not even refer to their selves as Jedi.
JFerguson
JFerguson - 7/13/2023, 5:58 AM
I said this a little while back, but I am a firm believer that those sequel movies will never be retroactively respected even by the generation that grew up on them, a la the prequel trilogy. The actors who starred in them are an unfortunate casualty to what will forever be known as the mediocre SW movies.

The sequel trilogy, unfortunately, did nothing new.
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 7/13/2023, 6:01 AM
@JFerguson - maybe , we’ll see

Personally , I think the sequels are better then the prequels from an execution standpoint atleast

Conceptually or story wise , I think the prequels are are more interesting but I found the execution in lacking for the most part.

The sequel trilogy as a whole isn’t great by any means but decent imo.

Both are of course inferior to the OT.
JFerguson
JFerguson - 7/13/2023, 6:07 AM
@TheVisionary25 - So true about the execution on the prequels. But I would argue that the reason sequels don't have an execution problem is because there was never a plan to execute to begin with!

OT goated as always.

Also, it's great to have you back Doc!

TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 7/13/2023, 6:09 AM
@JFerguson - it’s great to be back man , thanks!!

TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 7/13/2023, 6:11 AM
@JFerguson - haha , that’s fair

Even an outline would have sufficed I feel because even the OT was making up atleast some stuff as it went along such as Han being frozen in Carbonite because George didn’t know if Harrison Ford would be back for a third one etc
bobevanz
bobevanz - 7/13/2023, 6:11 AM
@TheVisionary25 - I'm a changed man, can we be friends? 🙏
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 7/13/2023, 6:17 AM
@bobevanz - sure

As long as you pledge your loyalist to our Lord and Savior , Rian Johnson!!


bobevanz
bobevanz - 7/13/2023, 8:50 AM
@TheVisionary25 - Never! Lol but I will also never mention Iron First ever again. Yay! This is a glorious day for all. I'll also try to reply to more comments, I don't do that often. Welcome back!
bobevanz
bobevanz - 7/13/2023, 6:10 AM
The sequel trilogy was a piece of shit. How tf do you start and stop a franchise like that? George Lucas gave you THREE scripts, they're somewhere. Instead they made a movie, then the next dumbass lame brain stooge Rian Johnson thought he was clever, but he ended up destroying the hype and love for star wars content. I've only seen Rise of Skywalker once, somehow I'll never watch that POS sequel trilogy again.
MarvelousMarty
MarvelousMarty - 7/13/2023, 6:17 AM
I loved the idea of a Stormtrooper deflecting. Sadly after an ok start everything else was utter sh*t.
IronMan616
IronMan616 - 7/13/2023, 6:33 AM
All the new trilogy characters sucked. They even managed to make Jake Skywalker suck.
Twenty23Three
Twenty23Three - 7/13/2023, 6:35 AM
Dude went from joint lead in the Force Awakens, with arguably a more interesting story than Rey. To a side character with nothing important to do. Another last Jedi victim
CoHost
CoHost - 7/13/2023, 6:37 AM
I'll say this til the day I die: Finn should have been the main character of the trilogy. Interesting backstory, different kind of character, fascinating idea for growth. It was all there. SMFH
MartianManHuntr
MartianManHuntr - 7/13/2023, 6:41 AM
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