Earlier this week (June 3) thousands of activists marched in London, in solidarity with American protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd and other African Americans by police, including the 26 year old Breonna Taylor and the transgender man Tony McDade.
One of the the most notable moments from the protest, which has been widely shared on social media, saw the actor John Boyega address crowds of Black Lives Matter supporters in Hyde Park, saying that “black lives have always mattered” and “now is the time” for action.
Before delivering the passionate speech – which also saw Boyega advocating care for black women – he was also recorded saying: “Look, I don’t know if I’m going to have a career after this, but fuck that.”
Now, several high-profile filmmakers have responded to this comment, assuring Boyega that he will be accepted within the industry, and expressing their enthusiasm for working with him.
The director of Get Out and Us, Jordan Peele, for example, retweeted a post quoting Boyega with the caption: “We got you, John.”
Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker adds, “I would crawl through a barrel of broken glass to have John Boyega even so much as *glance* at one of my scripts,” while Booksmart director Olivia Wilde has said: “I would be honored to work with John Boyega and can only hope to have the chance. “
Both make the statements in replies to a tweet by the American director Matthew A. Cherry, who urged non-black creators to confirm their support.
JJ Abrams and Mark Hamill, who have recently worked on Star Wars with Boyega, also spoke up in solidarity, as did the filmmaker Edgar Wright. View just some of the statements below.
