Boyega played Leroy Logan in Red, White and Blue, part of Steve McQueen’s anthology series Small Axe (2020), a role that won him a Golden Globe Award. Since then, he has featured in the historical action drama The Woman King (2022) and the mystery thriller They Cloned Tyrone (2023).

Early Life

Boyega was born in the Camberwell area of London and raised in Peckham. His parents, Abigail (a caregiver) and Samson Adegboyega (a Pentecostal pastor), are both of Yoruba heritage. He has two elder sisters.

His first experience in acting was as a leopard in a school play at Oliver Goldsmith Primary School. At nine years old, while performing in another school production, he caught the attention of Teresa Early, the artistic director of Theatre Peckham, an institution dedicated to nurturing young talents in South London. He trained there outside school hours from age nine to fourteen. A rumor once suggested that his father wanted him to become a preacher, but Boyega later clarified in an interview with Sam Sanders on Fresh Air that his father fully supported his artistic aspirations. Boyega and his sister Grace were among the last people to see their friend Damilola Taylor alive, as the Boyega family helped look after him.

In 2003, Boyega began his secondary education at Westminster City School, where he participated in several theatrical productions. Between 2008 and 2010, he studied for a National Diploma in Performing Arts at South Thames College, where he played the lead role in Othello. He later enrolled at the University of Greenwich to pursue a degree in film studies and media writing but left to dedicate himself fully to acting. He received training at the Identity School of Acting in London and became a patron of its Los Angeles branch upon its opening in 2018.

Career

Boyega trained at the Identity School of Acting in Hackney and performed in Six Parties at the National Theatre and Category B at the Tricycle Theatre before landing a role in the 2011 film Attack the Block. In September 2011, HBO cast him as the lead in the boxing drama Da Brick, loosely inspired by Mike Tyson’s life. The pilot was penned by John Ridley, but HBO did not proceed with the series. That same year, he appeared in Junkhearts as Jamal, a drug dealer who comes across firearms and attempts to sell them.

Recognized as one of Screen International’s UK Stars of Tomorrow 2011, Boyega was featured on the cover of the magazine’s July edition alongside two other rising talents. In March 2012, he secured a role in the adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun. On April 29, 2014, it was officially confirmed that he had been cast in a significant role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He portrayed Finn, a stormtrooper for the First Order who defects after witnessing their brutality and joins the resistance against them. The movie premiered on December 18, 2015, receiving widespread critical acclaim, with Boyega’s performance praised by both critics and audiences.

In 2017, Boyega starred in Detroit, Kathryn Bigelow’s film centered on the 1967 Detroit riots, and reprised his role as Finn in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

In January 2016, he established his own production company, UpperRoom Entertainment Limited. His company, in partnership with Legendary Entertainment, co-produced Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018), where he played the protagonist, Jake Pentecost. In 2019, he hinted at a collaboration with writer-director Sebastian Thiel, developing a series inspired by their childhood experiences, with Boyega serving as a producer. Later that year, it was revealed that he would star alongside Letitia Wright in a film adaptation of Hold Back the Stars and had also been cast in Steve McQueen’s miniseries Small Axe.

Boyega reprised his role as Finn in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). During an interview on Good Morning America, he disclosed that he accidentally left his script in a hotel room, and it was later discovered on eBay, where a Lucasfilm employee purchased it to prevent leaks. In response to a tweet suggesting he should play the DC Comics character Static in a live-action film, Boyega stated that he would be too old for the role but expressed interest in portraying Red Hood instead.

In 2020 and 2021, Boyega was named in the Powerlist Top 100 of the most influential Black figures in the UK. New African magazine also ranked him among the Top 100 most influential Africans in 2020. More recently, his production company, UpperRoom, secured a first-look deal with VIS Kids. However, while filming Netflix’s Rebel Ridge, he abruptly exited mid-production due to family matters.

In 2022, he took the lead in Abi Damaris Corbin’s drama Breaking, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival under its original title, 892. That same year, he starred alongside Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, and Lashana Lynch in Gina Prince-Bythewood’s historical epic The Woman King. Boyega later played multiple roles in Netflix’s sci-fi comedy They Cloned Tyrone.

In May 2021, it was revealed that he would reunite with Joe Cornish for a sequel to Attack the Block. In October 2024, it was announced that Boyega would portray American musician Otis Redding, starring alongside Danielle Deadwyler as Redding’s wife, Zelma, in the upcoming biopic Otis and Zelma.

Activism and Advocacy

Boyega took a stand in support of George Floyd, Sandra Bland, Trayvon Martin, and Stephen Lawrence during a speech at a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Hyde Park, London. His heartfelt address gained widespread backing from celebrities, while Lucasfilm reaffirmed its solidarity with Boyega and the movement.

In a 2020 interview with British GQ, Boyega openly criticized Disney for sidelining his character, Finn, in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, stating:

“What I would say to Disney is, do not introduce a Black character, promote them as if they are central to the franchise, and then push them aside. That’s not right. I’ll say it plainly.”