Star Wars' John Boyega apologises over Kelly Marie Tran interview comments

Star Wars' John Boyega has apologised following interview quotes where he appeared to describe Kelly Marie Tran as "weak" for quitting social media.

The star received backlash for a response he gave to Variety, when he was asked about dealing with trolls on social media. The interviewer brought up the misogynistic and racist abuse against Tran.

"Being in this position, you just understand the masses, how the masses think, you know," Boyega responded. "Through social media, we get to engage, we get to have fun.

"But at the same time, for those who are not mentally strong, you are weak to believe in every single thing that you read. That's, you know, it is what it is. I don't know, for me anyway, when I see that [backlash], I'm like, well, that's actually not true. But no, it is actually not true. So it's kind of like [shrugs], it is what it is.

"But to engage, to connect with the fans who otherwise wouldn't get a day-to-day experience, especially during things like the press tour and behind-the-scenes stuff, is always good."

Criticism of Boyega's original comments also brought up the fact that last year Tran said she "started to believe" the hurtful comments she received, adding at the time: "Their words reinforced a narrative I had heard my whole life – that I was 'other', that I didn't belong, that I wasn't good enough, simply because I wasn't like them."

Addressing the backlash from the interview, Boyega tweeted this morning (December 12): "In no way was I referring to Kelly when I made my comments although the interviewer mentioned her given the topic. I was really speaking from my own perspective throughout this franchise. Sometimes I've felt strong and sometimes I've felt weak. Badly worded though. I apologize.

"My comments on Kelly specifically and online harassment remains the same via a tweet I put out a few years ago."

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This past week has also seen Daisy Ridley come under fire, after she suggested in an interview that she does not feel more privileged than Boyega despite their different backgrounds.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has a release date of Thursday, December 19 in the UK and Friday, December 20 in the US.

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