I remember my manager telling me, 'Be myself, be humble, keep rooted, keep God first'. Those words were very helpful.
John Boyega
I'm grounded in who I am, and I am a confident black man. A confident, Nigerian, black, chocolate man. I'm proud of my heritage, and no man can take that away from me.
Portray the world for what it is, and you will find truth.
Being robbed hurts - not physically, but from what it does to your pride.
When I was in primary school, I was given a five-line script in 'Anansi the Spider Man,' and I decided to just improv and make it my own. For a second, I felt like Kevin Hart because everyone was laughing. I just continued to do it. Why not?
'Attack The Block' is an alien invasion film set in South London. It's about a group of kids who are some petty thugs, who have to find the hero in themselves, when they attack.
My stormtrooper suit would chip underneath the armpits and in between the thighs. So they had to do a lot of editing for my costume and shave some areas down.
I watched season four of 'The Wire.' They have subtle performances that they do through their eyes. You could watch season four with the audio off and still understand what's happening through their eyes.
My dad's a Pentecostal minister, meaning that he's full of charisma. If he's telling a story about Noah's ark, you best know each tiger is going to be having their own little conversation and narrative.
Hollywood has given me a great, warm hug.
I've been acting since I was 5 years old, from primary school to secondary school, did training at drama school, which was the big thing for me because they trained me, put me out into the industry.
Some people feel fulfillment from a bitter end - it gives them some sort of sense of reality. But, when you're dealing with reality, I feel like films should discover the part that is happy.
My biggest challenge is to not do urban movies for the rest of my life, those alpha hoodies.
Finn is just a stormtrooper, and stormtroopers are no longer clones, so they are bred from birth to fight. He's not too sure about it, so he escapes and meets Rey and Poe and BB8, and their stories kind of mesh together, and they go on a major adventure.
The 'block' in 'Attack the Block' is not just a physical thing. It's people; it's families.
I think for me, wearing the helmet and being part of the Stormtroopers felt so strange. Like, so this is what it feels like to just be one of the many. And to look the same, and to have to do the same thing. To be under the same orders. This is what it feels like.
My earliest vivid memory would be my Nigerian mother. She would wrap me on her back. I remember being on her back a lot. It felt like a ride, like I was riding a dinosaur; going everywhere and seeing everything.
I think 'Star Wars' always has to be bigger and bigger and better every time, and there's a great cast on 'The Force Awakens.' It's ground-breaking.
People of color and women are increasingly being shown on-screen. For things to be whitewashed just doesn't make sense.
My friends and family are not really fixated on the specifics of 'Star Wars.' My parents don't know anything about 'Star Wars.' They've never watched a 'Star Wars' film.
Normally you hear about Southeast London, and you hear about all the stuff that goes on down there, all the negative things, and the tabloids kind of stay away from all the positive things that happen that I see every day, which kind of outshines the negative.
I'm a comic reader and a manga fan.
The scripts that I've been getting are of epic proportion. People want me to lead the big armies.
Film is just a great medium to express yourself and a great environment to work around.
All the films I've done have had a secret commentary on stereotypical mentalities.
My dad is a minister, and my mum is a worker with the less fortunate and the disabled. They're Nigerian natives. Their first language is Yoruba, and their second language is English.
There is a level of appreciation for brothers and sisters in the hood.
I've had plenty of lessons about film acting and theatre acting.
I'm having so much fun, because you know what? They cast a Star Wars fan in a Star Wars movie. Biiiiiig mistake!
In the States, you have a little bit of freedom to audition for different kinds of roles.
It's amazing that people still feel, 'Oh my gosh, it's a black guy.' We've been here for a long time; let's get used to it. Let's get used to other cultures.
Who wouldn't want to be in 'Star Wars?' It'd be great.
I've been getting diverse roles.
Like any other actor, my agent called me with an opportunity. It just so happens that the opportunity was the lead in 'Star Wars.'
Finn doesn't have as much respect for Han's legacy as everybody else does, and Han finds that a bit charming. They team up and go on a mission together. The banter is very choppy, and the dialogue is pretty funny. Chewie enjoys the banter and the friction between the two, but they definitely have each other's backs.
It's always great to play a character that goes against the grain. Finn defies what people think when they think of stormtroopers.
You know, urban culture is fun; it's lovely.
I'd like to be in anything that tells a good story and has an interesting character.
In this life, it's not hard to do wrong.
I like my women very green; you know, eco-friendly.
Acting careers don't come out fully formed - not unless your name is Jaden Smith and your dad has done it all.
I love London. I'm a London fanatic. That's my city.
You know, we all can do bad, and we all can do good.
There's a difference between living somewhere and being part of somewhere.
'Junkhearts' is a great story.
I know my movies. I love my movies.
I'm a Michael Bay fanatic.
I love my jackets and good tailoring. I love the designs and the colour.
We see through the eyes of children that they're not talking about race the way we grown folks are. They're not talking about color or how much melanin is in someone's skin.
Despite that it's 'Star Wars' and how huge it is, it's still work to me, and that element of things grounds you, especially from nerding out a few times. Although, some days I can't control myself.
