John Boyega calls out Star Wars fans in wake of harassment controversy

Earlier this month, The Last Jedi breakout star Kelly Marie Tran left Instagram, reportedly due to comments from a radicalized faction of Star Wars fans. The actress, who played new character Rose Tico in the film, was the victim of sustained harassment that ranged from calling her character “unnecessary” to insults of a fouler mode. Tran isn’t the first Star Wars cast member to feel the lash of fandom and retreat: Daisy Ridley also deleted her account after similar harassment and The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson regularly fields trolls on Twitter.

This week, John Boyega got fed up with it.

The actor, who plays Finn in the new Star Wars films, is no stranger to internet harassment himself — he received plenty from racist individuals upset over seeing a black man in a Stormtrooper uniform. Today, he spoke out on Twitter regarding the fandom harassment:

He also pushed back directly to those who think they know everything that’s happening behind-the-scenes at Lucasfilm.

To end on a positive note, Boyega thanked fans that had remained supportive of the actors for their empathy.

And, of course, made jokes when one Twitter user commented, “Next, John will be telling us that actors don’t write their own dialogue.” John sarcastically replied:

Mark Hamill, who responded to the harassment several days ago, fulfilled what seems to be his patriarchal role within the Star Wars family and commented on Boyega’s second tweet, cautioning against letting fans put themselves in his shoes.

Even as fandom turns to harassment to vent its opinions, as the line between artist and spectator is crossed, Boyega is willing to call out problematic behavior when he sees it. For some franchise stars, there’s more to Star Wars than fan service.