John Boyega gave a speech like a true freedom fighter when he spoke at a rally folks for George Floyd on Wednesday in London’s Hyde Park.
The speech ignited the thousands of those in the U.K. capital’s famed park who were demonstrating in solidarity with Americans protesting the death of the Minneapolis, Minnesota, Black man at the hands of police last month, and it also inspired the people who watched it on video, based on the social media reactions that came afterward. Toward the end of Boyega’s fiery address, the British actor said that he didn’t know if it would cost him his career.
But he shouldn’t be too concerned about working again, because a host of prominent directors, like Jordan Peele, said they’d love to have him on their set.
“I need you guys to understand how painful this s–t is,” said Boyega during his speech. “To be reminded every day that your race means nothing. … We are a physical representation of our support for George Floyd. We are a physical representation in our support of Sandra Bland. We are the physical representation in our support for Trayvon Martin. … Look, I don’t know if I’m going to have a career after this, but f–k that.”
Someone on Twitter captured a screenshot of Boyega’s speech and included what he said about possibly not having a career. Peele caught wind of that screenshot, retweeted it, and let the “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” actor know that he would not let him be out of work.
“We got you, John,” wrote Peele.
That message caused others like Matthew A. Cherry to say he also wouldn’t hesitate to work with Boyega. Cherry won an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film this year for his project “Hair Love.”
“I would work with John Boyega and I urge other non-Black creators to affirm that they have his back as well,” wrote Cherry.
Other directors responded, like Charlie Brooker, who created the Netflix science fiction anthology “Black Mirror.”
“I would crawl through a barrel of broken glass to have John Boyega even so much as glance at one of my scripts,” he tweeted.
Boyega grew to international fame after playing the character Finn in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” and 2019’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.”
Shortly after his speech, a message was sent from the “Star Wars'” official Twitter account that read, “We stand with and support you, @JohnBoyega.”
The actor has been quiet on social media since his speech went viral and hasn’t reacted to the many responses it received.
