Film and TV creators including Oscar winner, Jordan Peele have assured John Boyega that his career is far from over following his speech at a Black Lives Matter protest in London on Wednesday.
In his address, the British-Nigerian actor, 28, told the crowd at London’s Hyde Park: “I don’t know if I’m going to have a career after this [speaking out], but f*** that.”
“Today is about innocent people who were halfway through their process,” he continued. “We don’t know what George Floyd could have achieved, we don’t know what Sandra Bland could have achieved, but today we’re going to make sure that won’t be an alien thought to our young ones.”
The speech which was shared thousands of times on Twitter and in the wake of his comments, drew supports from several celebrities including some of his colleagues.
Stars including Matthew A Cherry, Olivia Wilde, JK Rowling, and Jordan Peele praised and assured John Boyega that his career is far from over following fears for his career.
Retweeting pictures of Boyega at the protest, Peele wrote: “We got you, John.”
We got you, John. https://t.co/oX7Rr52omx
— Jordan Peele (@JordanPeele) June 3, 2020
Director Olivia Wilde was also among those to respond, writing: “Absolutely. I would be honoured to work with @JohnBoyega and can only hope to have the chance. We’ve got your back, John. Don’t hold back.”
Stage and screenwriter Jack Thorne said: “I have worked with John Boyega (on Woyzeck at the @oldvictheatre) and would cut my hand off to work with him again. A magnificent talent.”
JJ Abrams, who took charge of the Star Wars trilogy which saw Boyega in his breakthrough role as Finn, added: “You KNOW that as long as I’m allowed to keep working, I’ll always be begging to work with you. Deep respect and love, my friend.”
Mark Hamill also paid tribute to the actor’s emotional stand, tweeting: “Never been more proud of you, John.”
Absolutely. I would be honored to work with @JohnBoyega and can only hope to have the chance. We’ve got your back, John. Don’t hold back. https://t.co/4d5gA3RRkj
— olivia wilde (@oliviawilde) June 3, 2020
I would crawl through a barrel of broken glass to have John Boyega even so much as *glance* at one of my scripts. https://t.co/0bcLeldaEg
— Charlie Brooker (@charltonbrooker) June 3, 2020
I would work with John Boyega and I urge other Non-Black creators to affirm that they have his back as well. https://t.co/SqXgmIS5aR
— Matthew A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) June 3, 2020
You KNOW that as long as I’m allowed to keep working, I’ll always be begging to work with you. Deep respect and love, my friend. https://t.co/DcMEwEmzh9
— JJ Abrams (@jjabrams) June 4, 2020
