Now, a new threat arises, and the Resistance and a small band of heroes are the only one who can stop them. The First Order is certainly a malevolent force to be reckoned with.<\/p>\n
John Boyega – Finn<\/h2>\n
Q: Please introduce yourself and who you play.<\/strong><\/p>\n A: Hello, I\u2019m John Boyega and I play Finn.<\/p>\n Q: Tell us about the audition process.<\/strong><\/p>\n A: I got a call about the auditions for \u201cStar Wars\u201d and my agent told me that J.J. Abrams wanted to meet with me and wanted to put me on tape for the role. I didn\u2019t know what part I was going up for and I hadn\u2019t read the script obviously, so I took a train into Central London, met J.J., spoke about the role, and then did the scenes. It was two scenes; I practiced it a few times, and then we put in on tape. It was quite the experience because it was nerve-wracking knowing that it was \u201cStar Wars\u201d but not knowing the specifics of the part. After that it was recall after recall, then a screen test in which Chewbacca came, which was exciting. Then I got the call saying that I got the part, and that was after seven months of extreme auditioning.<\/p>\n Q: Do you remember the moment when you were actually told that you got the part?<\/strong><\/p>\n A: Prior to getting the part, I had been at a premiere at another film I had done, and my mind was definitely more fixated on whether I\u2019d receive the part or not. I remember being on the red carpet and it had leaked that I was up for the \u201cStar Wars\u201d part. So, there were various media outlets asking if I was up for \u201cStar Wars.\u201d I was like, \u201cI haven\u2019t heard anything, but if J.J. Abrams wants me to be in \u2018Star Wars\u2019 that would be amazing.\u201d The next day, I get an e-mail from J.J. asking where I was. I told him I was at home and he asked if I could get to a little cafe in Mayfair. I hopped in a cab, drove down, and saw J.J. in the cafe by himself, drinking a cup of tea. We had a brief conversation and he asked me whether I was ready, if this role could possibly happen. He asked me if would be interested in working out and training, both as an actor and physically. He asked me if I realized how big the responsibility would be. I was like, \u201cYeah, I\u2019ll be fine. I\u2019ll do anything.\u201d Then he told me I was the new star in \u201cStar Wars.\u201d Everything stopped. I noticed everything. I noticed how many sugar cubes were in this little cup on the table. All the time it was going through my head: \u201cHe just said I\u2019m the new star in \u2018Star Wars.\u2019\u201d I was willing myself to breathe. Then J.J. raised a cup of water and said, \u201cCongratulations.\u201d<\/p>\n I was ecstatic. It was probably the happiest day of my life. I walked all around London just in dream land. This felt different. I\u2019ve received calls for roles that I fought for before, but this not only felt like a triumph for me as an actor, but a day that felt like a day that I was a part of history and that just made me really, really happy.<\/p>\n Q: How long was it before the table read that you knew you got the role?<\/strong><\/p>\n A: I was told I had the role about one week before the read through. We were told to keep quiet; we couldn\u2019t tell any family or friends. No one knew about it. Obviously, there was no press release and it was really hard just going through normal life without saying that I was cast in \u201cStar Wars\u201d! But I was really excited that the picture came out with all of us at the read through. It was really historical. It was amazing. I didn\u2019t even tell my Mum or Dad! They found out the day of the read through because I was told specifically to keep it quiet.<\/p>\n Q: Were you a \u201cStar Wars\u201d fan?<\/strong><\/p>\n A: I was born in 1992, so I grew up on the prequels, and then my dad told me that I should go back and watch the originals also because that rounds up the whole Anakin and Luke Skywalker story. So I did go back and watch the originals and thought they were amazing. Every actor captured our imaginations and it was definitely an artistic influence for actors, directors, and everybody in the entertainment field from visual effects to everybody that makes the magic happen. \u201cStar Wars\u201d has definitely been a part of my Sci-fi nerd, geek side. I\u2019m a big comic book reader and it\u2019s part of that universe. Now I\u2019m in it. It\u2019s crazy!<\/p>\n Q: Who were your favorite characters?<\/strong><\/p>\n A: Han Solo and Chewbacca. I\u2019m a big R2-D2 fan, too. Now we\u2019ve got our new BB-8 who\u2019s probably like the young, upcoming R2-D2. But the whole universe is just amazing to me. The whole narrative and the character arcs really just fit together. George Lucas did a good job.<\/p>\n Q: Do you have a favorite \u201cStar Wars\u201d film?<\/strong><\/p>\n A: \u201cReturn of the Jedi\u201d is my favorite film because you find Luke Skywalker at a very vulnerable time. In the first film he was learning who he is and learning about this special world that\u2019s out there that he never knew about. \u201cReturn of the Jedi\u201d is a great mix of drama, comedy, and somewhat expands the universe in terms of the Ewoks and other creatures that you find in the movie. It\u2019s my favorite because it’s the establishment of each character at a different point in their lives. You see the whole story from a different point of view. I always saw the first two films as from the point of view of R2-D2 and C-3PO. That’s how I saw it when I was younger. I only cared about these droids. These droids are just being exchanged, and passed around, and it\u2019s just from their POV of what their masters are doing. But, \u201cReturn of the Jedi\u201d is fixated on Luke Skywalker\u2019s story and he\u2019s becoming the top Jedi on the streets right now and that was really cool to me. I love it. I could talk about this all day.<\/p>\n Q: How did you feel on your first day of shooting in Abu Dhabi?<\/strong><\/p>\n A: Abu Dhabi, in the heat, was quite the experience. Going out there and being in this environment\u2014huge desert, loads of props, a big set, and obviously J.J. Abrams with his enthusiasm and his energy, coming in and saying that we\u2019re starting \u201cStar Wars\u201d Episode Seven\u2014was just amazing. Just looking around and taking it all in and saying, \u201cI am here. We are about to film this movie.\u201d I knew it was going to be an experience I would never forget.<\/p>\n Q: What was it like shooting in Abu Dhabi?<\/strong><\/p>\n A: Abu Dhabi is very hot as everybody knows but it is a beautiful place. We were there to shoot the first part of the movie. I\u2019m in this nice hotel and I get in my car and as we\u2019re driving, I\u2019m looking all around at the structure of Abu Dhabi. It looks amazing. We ended up in the desert where the TIE Fighter scene was being shot.<\/p>\n When I walk to set, I see this huge, life-size TIE Fighter, black and red, crushed in the sand. Balls of fire everywhere. Debris. TIE Fighter skid marks going 200 yards. And of course Finn has to be in the Stormtrooper outfit. I had to wear a Stormtrooper outfit in this heat for the next couple of days. Let\u2019s just say it was a combination of sweat, passion, fandom, ice cubes, eye drops and a lot of water. I was drenched in sweat by the time I got out of the Stormtrooper outfit. But, most days, it got easier based on passion and fandom alone. I was trying to be professional but every time J.J. Abrams would come up to me with a note, I\u2019d be like, \u201cIt’s a TIE Fighter!\u201d I was literally star-struck seeing the TIE Fighter next to me. It made the scenes easier, though it was absolutely hot.<\/p>\n Q: When did you meet Daisy Ridley and how did you two get along?<\/strong><\/p>\n A: Daisy Ridley and I met during the audition process and it was important for us to have chemistry reads and just get to know each other so that we could have a good chemistry on screen. Ever since then we\u2019ve just bonded and we had a great time. It\u2019s funny because we\u2019re both going through this same experience of being in a picture that\u2019s huge, and being on something of this scale is new to both of us. We\u2019re kind of holding each other\u2019s hand through this experience and we\u2019ve been having fun! Cracking jokes and singing nice sing-along songs every morning, which everyone else doesn\u2019t like, but we do our thing. We\u2019ve been having fun.<\/p>\n Daisy and I get along on screen and off screen, so what you will see in the movie, in terms of our rhythm, in terms of our banter, is real off screen. When J.J. was going through the script with us, he made some tweaks based on our relationship and the rhythm in the way we talk to each other. It\u2019s great that\u2019s been implemented in the movie because people will feel that these two strangers, who\u2019ve come from two different worlds, but somewhat are the same, are bonding and that there\u2019s a real friendship between them. When you believe in characters that have great chemistry, you buy into the reality of it. You care about the characters. So it\u2019s been wonderful working with Daisy, and having this real chemistry on screen. It\u2019ll benefit the whole movie.<\/p>\n Q: Tell us about you rap songs.<\/strong><\/p>\n A: The official Daisy Ridley and John Boyega \u201cStar Wars\u201d album was founded based on some time off in the desert. We\u2019re not always in front of the screen, so we had a lot of time hanging out. We decided to make raps about our experience. Just think of it as poetry.<\/p>\n Q: Daisy Ridley seems very serious about this role.<\/strong><\/p>\n A: Daisy Ridley<\/a> is a hard worker. She\u2019s very serious and passionate about this. From the moment I met her, she was fixated on making this role believable and relatable. She\u2019s worked hard in collaboration with J.J. to make Rey loveable and soft, vulnerable, innocent, but at the same time you believe that Rey can become stern, and hard, and kick some butt and that’s what she does. She\u2019s really strong, and it helps to have someone like that to bounce off of. We\u2019re able to collaborate in certain scenes and get the best laughs. It\u2019s been amazing not being in this by myself. Not being a young lead by myself. I love the fact that it\u2019s a duo of leads. So, whatever experience we go through for the first time, it\u2019s both of us going through it. In real life and in the movie. The whole experience, the process, has helped create balance in the galaxy and on Earth.<\/p>\n Q: What did you think of BB-8?<\/strong><\/p>\n A: BB-8 is amazing. BB-8 is so cute and charismatic…and a little bit feisty. I\u2019m starting to wonder if R2-D2 is a distant cousin. BB-8 is lovely to work with. I have to talk about BB-8 as an actor because BB-8 is actually there on set. On \u201cStar Wars\u201d we’re not messing around. It\u2019s puppetry; it’s animatronics, and BB-8 is a combination of both. It\u2019s been amazing working with BB-8. Sometimes he\u2019s a bit rude and has to work on his attitude a bit. But, as a droid that just got this part, he has a long way to go.<\/p>\n Q: Talk about J.J. Abrams as a director.<\/strong><\/p>\n A: J.J. Abrams is an actor\u2019s director. He understands the balance between the technical and the artistic. He\u2019ll get the best out of his crew and his cast. Until we reach a balance, he won\u2019t be satisfied. That\u2019s what I love about J.J. Also, J.J. is a \u201cStar Wars\u201d fan. He\u2019s clued up on \u201cStar Wars\u201d and very energetic on the set. He has his microphone next to him and always beatboxing, playing music. He\u2019s a very vibrant young man. From an actor\u2019s perspective, he gives you the best notes in terms of a scene and helps you get the best out of your character. It\u2019s been fun working with him. They couldn\u2019t give this opportunity to a better guy, and what I\u2019ve seen so far looks really good. J.J. Abrams\u2014he\u2019s got this. He\u2019s good.<\/p>\n Q: Do you have a sense of J.J. Abrams\u2019 vision?<\/strong><\/p>\n A: J.J.\u2019s influence is definitely evident when you read the script. Especially with Finn because Finn is charismatic like J.J.; fun, very funny and very real and that\u2019s something that\u2019s a part of J.J. I feel that he\u2019s put in Finn. But also it connects to the original \u201cStar Wars,\u201d where there was danger but it wasn\u2019t like, drama-danger, it\u2019s \u201cStar Wars\u201d danger; it\u2019s exciting and thrilling and that\u2019s something J.J. has a big influence over, and he\u2019s doing a great job.<\/p>\n Q: Would you say that J.J. Abrams is celebrating the old in this new film?<\/strong><\/p>\n A: I will say it’s true that J.J. is definitely accepting the new with the CGI but also at the same time he is paying homage to the old with physical effects, and it has been amazing because every time I get in that car to come to Pinewood to film \u201cStar Wars,\u201d I always think to myself, “What am I going to see with my very eyes today that\u2019s going to make me go, ‘Wow, I\u2019m filming Star Wars?\u2019!\u201d And there always is something. I feel like it\u2019s going to continue like that for the rest of the shoot.<\/p>\n Q: As a fan who loves all sides of technology and practical, how do you think J.J. Abrams has done?<\/strong><\/p>\n A: J.J. has managed to keep the balance between what we\u2019re used to from the old \u201cStar Wars\u201d films\u2014physical effects, real, loveable, relatable characters, great story arc\u2014and the balance between what we know something we\u2019re used to now, such as CGI and motion capture, and he\u2019s managed to make this really good balance within the movie. He\u2019ll do everything he can do physically before then expanding his ideas to what we can do on the computer. J.J. has done a very good job with making sure that the fans get to keep what made them love the \u201cStar Wars\u201d films, but also opening up the world to a new generation. It\u2019s a good collaboration and that\u2019s what you need for a space opera.<\/p>\n Q: What was it like working with Harrison Ford?<\/strong><\/p>\n A: As he works on set, Harrison has a great understanding of the artistic side of shooting a movie as well as the technical side of shooting a film. If anyone asks me what I have learned from working with Harrison Ford on \u201cStar Wars,\u201d I\u2019ve learned that whatever film I go on to after this, shooting a film or a movie as an actor is a balance of the technical and the artistic. As an artist, you\u2019re portraying a role, being an actor, and performing. But the camera is the eye of the audience, so you have to also facilitate that. You have to facilitate the lighting, the positions and the visual effects. Harrison knows how to do all of that with great balance but also have fun and make it a comfortable set. He hangs out with us after filming. I took him to southeast London to a nice Nigerian restaurant. He spoke to me about all the things that he\u2019d been through and all the things he\u2019d seen over the years as an actor. It was great to learn from an actor. He\u2019s a cool man.<\/p>\n Q: You\u2019ve trained hard. Talk us through your regimen.<\/strong><\/p>\n A: So for a role like this, and for a film like \u201cStar Wars,\u201d there\u2019s a lot of action and definitely J.J. is great at doing the action both in space and on ground. As actors we definitely need to learn some hand-to-hand combat and how to use the lightsabers, so I was involved in over seven months of training. I actually played a lot of \u201cStar Wars\u201d music; there was a lot of John Williams coming from the speakers in the gym. I would do some intervals and run and do some cardio, skipping, boxing, weight training, all that kind of stuff. When we started filming, I felt like I was ready.<\/p>\n Q: Was the combat training pretty serious stuff?<\/strong><\/p>\n A: It was. Our lightsabers are really heavy, so you do get a sense of this power and this Force that\u2019s coming out of this weapon and it does really do something to you, but you do have to be strong and you do have to have skill. But it\u2019s been fun doing the stunt training because I\u2019ve always wanted to swing a lightsaber. We were actually working with wooden sticks for a long time to keep safe and get used to the movement and to learn the choreography.<\/p>\n![\"JohnBoyegaFinnStarWars\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/JohnBoyegaFinnStarWars-150x150.jpg?resize=150%2C150\")
<\/a>Born in London, England, actor John Boyega plays Finn, a former Stormtrooper (designation FN-2187). He is trying to give up his connection to the First Order and soon finds himself in the midst of the battle between good and evil, as he meets up with the films heroes.<\/p>\n![\"April](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/starwarscastread.jpg?resize=750%2C370\")
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Ph: David James
\u00a9 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n![\"Star](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/JohnBoyegaFinnStarWarsDesert.jpg?resize=400%2C168\")
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Ph: Film Frame
\u00a9Lucasfilm 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n![\"Star](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/JohnBoyegaFinnStarWarsExplosion.jpg?resize=400%2C267\")
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Finn (John Boyega)
Ph: David James
\u00a9Lucasfilm 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n![\"Star](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/JohnBoyegaFinnStarWarsBB8.jpg?resize=400%2C267\")
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L to R: Finn (John Boyega) and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac)
Ph: David James
\u00a9 2015 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Right Reserved.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n![\"Star](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/JohnBoyegaFinnStarWarsJJAbrams.jpg?resize=400%2C267\")
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L to R: Director J.J. Abrams on set w\/ John Boyega (Finn).
Ph: David James
\u00a9Lucasfilm 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
![\"Star](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/JohnBoyegaFinnStarWarsPoe.jpg?resize=400%2C267\")
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