Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker star John Boyega took to Twitter late Wednesday to apologize for comments he made during a recent interview that were taken as an implied criticism of co-star Kelly Marie Tran over how she dealt with abuse on social media.
In an interview with Variety, the British actor was asked about the good and the bad of Star Wars fandom in the age of social media especially in light of the abuse that led to Tran leaving social media. Boyega replied, “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. That’s, you know — it is what it is.”
He added: “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” — he 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.”
On Wednesday, Boyega sought to clarify his comments, denying he was referring to Tran and apologized if his words were misconstrued. “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,” he wrote.
In a follow-up tweet, Boyega referred back to previous comments he made about the social media harassment Tran faced after The Last Jedi was released. In June 2018, Boyega pleaded with fans to stop harassing Tran, tweeting, “If you don’t like Star Wars or the characters, understand that there are decision makers and harassing the actors/actresses will do nothing. You’re not entitled to politeness when your approach is rude. Even if you paid for a ticket!”
Boyega followed with a tweet stating, “To the majority of Star Wars fans, thank you for supporting and putting yourselves in our shoes. You understand that there is a process so much appreciated!”
