Actor John Boyega has revealed that he lost friends over a famous 2020 anti-racism speech.
Recall that Boyega spoke on racial violence during a Hyde Park rally for George Floyd. Speaking during the rally, he said;
“Black lives have always mattered. We have always been important. We have always meant something. We have always succeeded regardless.
“Now is the time. I ain’t waiting.”
He also referenced two other black Americans who controversially died in the US, as well as the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence in London in 1993. He added:
“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.”
Talking about the rally in an interview with Evening Standard, Boyega said “I’ve had actors that I’m close to disagree with what I did that day. Some people don’t want to work with me.”
Commenting on romantic relationships, Boyega says he prefers to date people who live outside the world of celebrity, and added: “I only date black. Then it’s about chemistry, personality, goals.”