Not only is John Boyega Pacific Rim: Uprising’s leading actor, but the blockbuster also marks his first film as a producer. Earlier this month I had the opportunity to talk to the 25-year-old about his transition into this role, during which time we touched upon how prevalent the theme of unity is in the first “Pacific Rim.”
Over the last few years there has been a louder and louder call for the “Star Wars” franchise to play a bigger role with its themes, especially when it comes to including LGBTQ characters. I asked Boyega whether he believes that the upcoming installments to the series have a responsibility to be more progressive and inclusive, which provoked him to insist that these changes need to happen both in front of and behind the camera.
“There definitely is that responsibility, but more the responsibility to hire those from those experiences to share their creative light, that’s the pivotal thing. Because if you just hire the same sort of people you’re just getting the same sort of film. It’s not wrong, but then there’s a lack of variety. I think ‘Pacific Rim’ handles that in a very unique way.”
There’s a chance we could see the series taking its first tentative steps in this direction rather soon. That’s because a large amount of “Star Wars” fans already believe that John Boyega’s character in the franchise, Finn, should become romantically entangled with Oscar Isaac’s Poe Dameron after their interactions in “The Force Awakens”. During our discussion Boyega insisted that the ball is firmly in Poe’s court when it comes to the development of their romance, though.
“I think that Oscar is always looking at me with love in his eyes, and I guess that the fans saw it. And then they realized that either he needs to chill or come out.”
We’ll finally get to see if there’s any more signs of affection between the two characters when “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” is released on December 15. Boyega’s return to the series will quickly be followed by his antics in “Pacific Rim: Uprising” on March 23, 2018, the trailer for which you can watch below.
