Anna Daniels
Being a role model for the Star Wars franchise has never been an easy road as attested to by Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher. Neither one has ever made claims to being perfect people either, including Hamill not being afraid to rib the movies making him famous.
The new cast have mostly maintained a good reputation, up until stars like John Boyega started interacting with fans on Instagram. Everyone knows Daisy Ridley left Instagram because those same fans aren’t afraid to point out any flaw about these actors.
Recently, Boyega had to defend himself when making a joke about his character’s relationship with Rey (Ridley). Some fans thought he made a misogynist statement, though Boyega thought it was harmless.
Was it a mistake for him to interact with Star Wars fans online, or a perfect way to be more transparent?
John Boyega might have been lured into making a slightly dirty joke
While talking with fans on Instagram, one person noted the character of Finn (Boyega) was now available for a relationship with Rey now that Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) had died. Boyega responded by using a joke with very British idioms: “It’s not about who she kisses but who eventually lays the pipe. You are a genius.”
The sexual innuendo in this comment surprised a number of fans who thought it was a bit crude for a Star Wars cast member. In the mind of Boyega, it was much ado about nothing.
To defend himself, he said he was making a joke about fictional characters rather than women in general. Others didn’t think so and found it a bit sexist after five years of a decent reputation.
Was it really the wrong thing to say, or is social media just too ready to pounce on anything said by someone of influence? With Boyega saying some controversial things about the recent Star Wars film lately, it may be a chance to loosen up after having to be tight-lipped since 2015.
There’s a good chance John Boyega may not play Finn again
Boyega has been on record saying he doesn’t want to play Finn in any of the Disney+ shows. If really true, he may think the Finn gig is up and he perhaps won’t be a part of Star Wars anymore. Maybe this is what incited him to open up a little and joke around about the Star Wars characters.
It’s also no secret he hasn’t been happy about some of the plot choices in the films. He joined Oscar Isaac in protesting Disney’s decision to nix that possible gay relationship between Finn and Poe (Isaac).
One thing for sure is Boyega found out how vicious social media audiences are sometimes. Even if Instagram isn’t quite as bad as places like Twitter, it’s still been known to have its share of crazies who go after notable people with a vengeance.
Ridley realized it wasn’t worth the effort, which was a sad day in social media lore. Will the criticism of Boyega’s joke chase him away from social media as well?
No doubt it won’t, though he may finally realize how fast fans can turn if saying something off the cuff.
What more might John Boyega say about ‘Star Wars’ online if he never returns as Finn?
There have been some divisions on whether Finn should have hooked up with Rey, or Finn hooking up with Poe. Either way, neither one happened in the film, possibly frustrating Boyega himself.
A few took his joke as envy against Driver, which is probably more than ridiculous. Within the world of fiction, though, there seem to be indications Finn had feelings for Rey in some way if probable Force sensitivity.
Maybe Boyega will be making more known about his Star Wars feelings if he feels he won’t be associated anymore. Social media might not be the best place. Now he realizes every word has to be carefully measured, something not easy to do in the middle of fast interactions.
Written by: Cheat
