Star Wars makers show support for John Boyega's Black Lives Matter speech

4 June 2020, 16:40 | Updated: 4 June 2020, 18:01

John Boyega delivers powerful Black Lives Matter speech at London protest

LucasFilm released a statement showing solidarity with the actor who plays Finn in the hit franchise, calling him their "hero".

Star Wars makers LucasFilm has shared a statement in support of John Boyega.

The actor, who is most known for playing the role of Finn in the franchise, went viral after giving an emotional speech at a Black Lives Matter demonstration in London on Wednesday 3 June 2020.

In the speech, in which he spoke out against the killing of George Floyd and many others by police officers he warned that his activism could damage his career.

However, LucasFilm stepped out to shop support for the 28-year-old actor on social media, sharing an image of him at the protest along with a statement in which they called him their "hero".

The statement reads: "Lucasfilm stands with John Boyega
"And his message that, "Now is the time.
"Black lives have always mattered.
"Black lives have always been important.
"Black lives have always meant something."

They added: "The evil that is racism must stop..
"We will commit to being part of the
"Change that is long overdue in the world.

"John Boyega, you are our hero."

The franchise also shared a full link to Boyega's speech, which you can watch a clip of above.

In it, the British actor addressed the crowds at the London park, saying: "We are a physical representation of our support for George Floyd. We are a physical representation of our support for Sandra Bland. We are a physical representation of our support for Trayvon Martin. We are a physical representation of our support for Stephen Lawrence."

He continued: "I'm speaking to you from my heart. Look, I don't know if I'm going to have a career after this, but f*** that."

He went on: "Today is about innocent people who were halfway through their process, we don't know what George Floyd could have achieved, we don't know what Sandra Bland could have achieved, but today we're going to make sure that won't be an alien thought to our young ones.

"I need you to understand how painful this s**t is. I need you to understand how painful it is to be reminded every day that your race means nothing and that isn't the case any more, that was never the case any more."

The actor also urged the crowds to be peaceful, saying: "It is very, very important that we keep control of this moment. That we make this as peaceful and as organised as possible," adding: "Because they want us to mess up, they want us to be disorganised, but not today."

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LucasFilm weren't the only ones to show solidarity to Boyega.

Star Wars royalty Mark Hamill, who has played the role of Luke Skywalker since 1977, wrote on Twitter: "Never been more proud of you, John".

Director Matthew A. Cherry wrote: "I would work with John Boyega and I urge other Non-Black creators to affirm that they have his back as well."

Birds of Prey director Cathy Yan responded: "I would love to work w John Boyega".

Steven DeKnight, who directed Pacific Rim: Uprising in which Boyega featured, replied: "You would have a blast, @CathyYan. @JohnBoyega was one of the most prepared, talented, and laugh-until-you-cry-funny human beings I've ever had the privilege to work with."

Jordan Peele, the writer and director of Get Out and Us, simply wrote: "We got you John."

If you would like to donate to or support the Black Lives Matter cause, here's some links you can visit below:

The official Black Lives Matter campaign

The George Floyd Memorial Fund

The Ahmaud Arbery Memorial Fund

The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust

The Bail Project

Dom chats to John Boyega about the new Star Wars film!