Star Wars Actor John Boyega Apologizes After He’s Accused of Calling Kelly Marie Tran Weak

Star Wars actor John Boyega apologized after he was accused of calling his co-star Kelly Marie Tran weak.

In an interview with Variety, Boyega talks about the sequel trilogy coming out at the height of social media which gave him a different experience.

Interviewer Adam B. Vary would follow that comment up and ask:

“There’s a sort of double edged sword there. You can get really great engagement. But then there’s what happened with Kelly [Marie Tran] about the small subset people who are very vocal and very negative, and having to navigate that.”

Boyega responded:

“Being in this position, you just understand the masses, how the masses think, you know. 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.”

Related: Star Wars Actor John Boyega Didn’t Realize Fans Believed The Last Jedi “Did Finn Dirty”

He added:

“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.”

Boyega would then be accused of calling Kelly Marie Tran weak for these comments.

John Boyega Promises to Share True Feelings on Disney’s Star Wars Following The Rise of Skywalker

Nerdist contributing editor Lindsey Romain wrote, “Yeah so here’s a direct quote of John Boyega insinuating Kelly Marie Tran is ‘weak’ for how she dealt with TLJ backlash. I’m…I just… wow.”

Romain would later add:

“I’m sure he’s not being intentionally malicious but it comes off glib and cruel, and given how many people die by suicide from online bullying, I’m ashamed he doesn’t know better than to say something like this.”

Others also accused Boyega of calling Tran weak.

Related: Daisy Ridley Faces Backlash from Activists After Denying She Was More Privileged Than Star Wars Co-Star John Boyega

One person described his comments as “victim blaming bullshit.”

John Boyega

Boyega would apologize for his comments on Twitter writing:

“In no way was I referring to Kelly when I made my comments although the interviewer mentioned her given the topic.”

He added:

“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.”

Related: John Boyega Describes Finn’s Role in Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi as “A Bit Iffy”

Boyega has been quite outspoken while promoting Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

He recently described his role as Finn in The Last Jedi as “a bit iffy.”

He also recently had some words for “uptight” Disney fans who took issue with his dancing at the Notting Hill Carnival. He told them to “shut up.”

Related: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Star John Boyega Tells “Uptight” Disney Fans To “Shut Up”

What do you make of John Boyega’s comments? Do you think he needed to apologize?

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