While his friends have great connections to the Force or plenty of experience as an ace pilot, John Boyega's Finn has spent the new trilogy of Star Wars films doing his best to keep helping his friends, regardless of the severity of the threat they're dealing with.
In a happy example of life imitating art, that deep-seated friendship also applies to Finn's actor John Boyega and his friendship with the rest of the cast and crew. At a press conference held in Los Angeles to celebrate the upcoming release of Star Wars: Return of the Skywalker, John Boyega spoke about his relationship with his co-stars and remembered the first time he met director JJ Abrams - years before they were working together.
With his future in the Star Wars universe unclear until after The Rise of the Skywalker premieres, Boyega made sure to speak about the man who brought him into the Star Wars franchise, J.J. Abrams, who directed both The Force Awakens and The Rise of the Skywalker. That's had a deeper meaning for Boyega, who explained that "I really do genuinely respect J.J. because he's not one for bullshit. When you come into this industry the way I did and the way Daisy did, you get a bunch of promises from a bunch of people. And J.J. was like 'we're going to get you in for something.'"
While that kind of promise happens all the time in Hollywood, Boyega remembered how Abrams kept his word.
"I remember [Abrams] was coming out of the editing room with Tom Cruise. I didn't really know who JJ was at that point, I was mostly like 'that's Tom Cruise right there!' But I remember Abrams saying 'I really liked you in Attack the Block, I'm going to put you in something'. And in my head I was like, 'Cute guy. Man, see you in 20 years.' I went to audition for other [projects] before Star Wars, TV shows and stuff, and it just so happens that Star Wars was what I was right for," he said, before addressing Abrams. "I appreciate you not being like the rest of this industry, not talking shit and actually getting stuff done."
Beyond his overall sense of heroism, the bromance between Finn and Poe Dameron has been one of the most noted aspects of the new Star Wars films among the fandom. It's something that carries over from real life. When speaking about his connection with Poe Dameron's actor Oscar Issac, Boyega said "I think it was natural when I first came in... the chemistry was blatant. It was a natural vibe between us, I don't know why. I just like the guy."
Sitting a few seats away from Boyega, Issac recalled one of the first times he met Boyega. "He walked into my dressing room and he was so sweet. 'You want to run the scene?!' and I was like 'yeah!' And so we were in the dressing room, butt to butt, running the scene together. And ever since, we've been in the same position." Laughing, Boyega admitted "there's weird chemistry. I felt most comfortable auditioning with the scenes that had Poe, because I've always liked the guys in the film. I love the boys."
Issac wasn't the only friend Boyega had on-set, since he also bonded with Daisy Ridley, who portrays Rey. While Issac was already an established actor when the trio first appeared in Star Wars together, Ridley and Boyega were coming up from the indie scene at the same time and developed a similar friendship to their on-screen counterparts.
Reflecting on his time in the series and what it means to be such a popular figure in the world now, Boyega said "I think I'm not the only one in it, so it's been cool to share the load. I've been on this journey with Daisy really more than anyone, just by circumstance and understanding of culture, a 100% understanding of our background and where we're from. While we were auditioning, I had more money than Daisy. I think you had [£17.50] in your account... and it was in minus too, so she was definitely going over the transaction limit."
Boyega went on to explain how that friendship continued off-set too. "We were able to relate even on that kind of level. Most of the time actors usually have this like mystery about personal things. We stripped that bare, and I think having that connection, if I feel any type of way or experience something weird or if I'm at the store and I see something, I just message Daisy because I know that's something she could 100% relate to. This way has been my way of experiencing the whole thing, but it's also been a huge life-changing experience for all of us, and that's exciting."
Boyega added that Finn's commitment to his friends was a big part of what drew him to his Star Wars character.
"I just like loyalty," Boyega explained. "Loyalty is something I find very important. I think it's super important to be loyal and to understand how people want to be loved and communicated with. It's proactive in a way that Finn does a lot in the film. Rey has to go off on these really hard journies as a character blessed with so much power. Finn is just trying to support her on that journey."
Directed and co-written by J.J. Abrams, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker stars Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Joonas Suotamo, Billie Lourd, Keri Russell, Matt Smith, Anthony Daniels, Mark Hamill, Billy Dee Williams and Carrie Fisher, with Naomi Ackie and Richard E. Grant. The film arrives on Dec. 20.