John Boyega says meeting Daniel Kaluuya helped him rethink his career

John Boyega has shut down Marvel rumors, voiced his support for indie films, and now the 'Breaking' actor is revealing one of the biggest turning points of his career: a one-on-one with his fellow Briton, Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya.

“I invited Daniel Kaluuya to my house because I was thinking about a lot of things. We sat down and I told him everything about how I felt,” Boyega recalls of the time he spent to “reassess all aspects” of his career during the COVID-19 closures.

"And it was so simple, the way he reacted," Boyega continued of "Get Out" and "Nope" star Kaluuya. "He was like, 'Yeah. You have to prioritize work and work with people who really fuck with you. With creative collaborations, we have to find people who are on our wavelength, and then we create something great. for our audience. That was one of the voices where I was like, OK, this is what I'm going to do."

Related Related

Boyega has often reflected on his lasting legacy as Finn in the Skywalker 'Star Wars' trilogy, a difficult subject since he spoke out against the character's racist treatment and downplayed role in the trilogy in 2020. Boyega looked back on his experience with the franchise when he realized he was "" after so-called fans threatened to boycott the films due to his casting as a Stormtrooper, for which he beat Tom Holland for the role.

"For me, it was just the differences," Boyega told Daily Beast about his time in "Star Wars." "I always try to learn the lesson of 'It was different. But never again.'”

The conversation with Kaluuya "degenerated into different projects" creatively outside of franchise IPs, as Boyega explained.

"The 'break' certainly happened during the pandemic. In ['The Woman King'], I play a king who is protected by some of the most ruthless female warriors. And for me, that was realizing "Oh, I'm the person they call when they need versatility in their projects, and I need to lean into it a little more," Boyega said.

In addition to Kaluuya, Boyega has cited Jamie Foxx, Olivia Washington, Joe Cornish, Juel Taylor, "The Woman King" co-star Viola Davis and director Gina Prince-Bythewood, and "Breaking" director Abi Damaris Corbin and co-stars Kwame Kwei-Armah, Michael K. Williams and Nicole Beharie as his "allies" in the industry.

"They came out and said, 'Let's go to work,'" Boyega said.

But there's a Marvel parallel that Boyega just can't shake: "For me, this synergy and now identifying people who are like, 'We're okay,' is in my head like this last portal scene in ['Avengers'] 'Endgame' where they come out on your left.”

Sign Up: Stay up to date with the latest film and TV news! Sign up for our email newsletters here.