John Boyega is an actor that knows a thing or two about franchises. Having starred in the recent “Star Wars” sequel trilogy, the actor knows what it’s like to have 5 years of your life dominated by fandom’s reaction to your performance, the grueling production process, and the aftermath of franchise films that might not land with audiences. Needless to say, Boyega knows what it’s like to be beholden to a franchise, while also, as he is now, having a bit more freedom.
Speaking to CinemaBlend, the actor talked about the idea of being imprisoned by a franchise as an actor. And it would certainly seem as if Boyega is really excited about the creative independence he is experiencing now, considering the “Star Wars” of it all is behind him.
“Being in a big franchise, it’s kind of like luxury jail sometimes for an actor when you want to do something else,” explained Boyega. “Because remember, in a franchise you’re working on one character for many years, which can starve your other muscles.”
He continued, “And in wanting to be in something where I knew that I’d play a different type of role, a different type of man, and then knowing Steve [McQueen, director of ‘Small Axe’] through, we’re all a part of the same industry so I’d heard about Steve’s directing style, I was really really curious and excited to have the opportunity anyway to be a part of it. And when it came through I was on the tele like ‘this is my moment.’”
As he mentioned, this newfound freedom granted him the chance to star in one of McQueen’s recent “Small Axe” films for Amazon. And each of those films has already earned more acclaim than any of the previous three “Star Wars” films. So, if Boyega was hoping for a bit more acting credibility, it would appear he’s well on his way to earning it with his post-Lucasfilm work.
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That said, it has to be noted that there are many actors that are able to straddle the line between franchise work and other work. Over at Marvel Studios, there are plenty of instances where actors are able to squeeze other films and TV projects in between their superhero output. So, it might be worth noting that Boyega’s issues with franchise filmmaking go a bit deeper than just being busy all the time working on massive blockbuster films. He definitely has expressed other issues that might paint his overall perception.
Regardless, Boyega is obviously ready for the next phase in his career, and if he does more projects like ‘Small Axe,’ we couldn’t be more excited.