John Boyega could be hitting the ton in the future after revealing he would love to star in romantic period drama .
Many will best know the 30-year-old actor for playing Finn in the latest trilogy, ending with final instalment The Rise of Skywalker which was released in late 2019.
Since then, John has been flexing his acting chops outside of sci-fi fantasy with roles in anthology series Small Axe, and comedy crime thriller n**ed.n**ed Singularity, while upcoming projects include historical epic The Woman King with Viola Davis, and Attack The Block 2.
He’s also teamed up with Converse on the Create Next Film Project, which has seen him mentor a new generation of five rising Black filmmakers.
Supporting Black talent both on-screen and off is a cause close to John’s heart, but he’s particularly interested in the idea of colourblind casting, which puts Black characters in prominent roles they wouldn’t typically be cast in without the mention of race, in the way Netflix series
Asked if he’d be open to join the series, John told Metro.co.uk at the Create Next Film Project launch (using a Bridgerton-style voice, of course): ‘Oh absolutely!’
He explained: ‘I would, I’m all about versatility. That’s what we were taught especially in drama school, we were taught about roles that wouldn’t necessarily come our way but we were still trained to try and portray it.
‘So yeah definitely, I would love to be in things that are more nuanced. After this period and doing Star Wars and being on quite a strict eight-year contract and being out of that, my man now feels like a football player like, “what team?”
‘I feel like definitely, I have more space for things that are different for sure.’
With a few more Lady Bridgertons to marry off in future seasons, there could be plenty of love interest slots for John to fill, and we hope he has Shonda Rhimes on speed-dial.
John may be a beloved household name in Hollywood now but his humble beginnings are what continue to keep him grounded.
Speaking to the audience of aspiring filmmakers and host Julie Adenuga, he said: ‘I feel like there was a time in my career where I was getting to the last round of everything but not getting it.
‘I went to LA and auditioned for The Maze Runner – before you guys saw that glorious movie, John Boyega’s broke ass was in LA sleeping on my friend David’s couch walking from Hollywood Boulevard to Sunset Gower Studios.
‘I know how it is with those Netflix shows, when you get closer and closer, you smell the money… That’s the frustrating thing about our industry is that we know we could get that one job and it could be like that, but unfortunately, a lot of times you come close to it and then you go back and that hurts.’
Over the last six months, John has worked with five London filmmakers; Ade Femzo, Kaylen Francis, Kemi Anna Adeeko, Lorraine Khamali and Ibrahim Muhammad, who have each written, directed and produced their own short films.
They each explore issues of love, grief, nostalgia, the unknown and racial microaggressions all featuring vibrant soundtracks and shot in their own unique styles.
For more information on the Create Next Film Project and to watch the short films, .
