'Star Wars' Star John Boyega Slams 'Game of Thrones' for Lack of Diversity
"Star Wars" star John Boyega has slammed HBO's massively popular TV series "Game of Thrones" for its lack of diversity but is his claim actually true?
The actor, who first found fame through "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," spoke with GQ and as it so happened, the issue of Hollywood diversity came up and Boyega definitely had some spicy words to say.
Boyega was quick to point out his disappointment with the lack of diversity in Hollywood especially with the producers of fantasy-themed franchises. The actor didn't hold back in mentioning "Game of Thrones" and "Lord of the Rings."
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"There are no black people on 'Game of Thrones.' You don't see one black person in 'Lord of the Rings.' ... I ain't paying money to always see one type of person on-screen," Boyega said during the interview.
The actor even suggested that the reason for the lack of diversity on the show is a racist one.
"Because you see different people from different backgrounds, different cultures, every day. Even if you're a racist, you have to live with that. We can ruffle up some feathers," he said.
Sadly for the actor, he forgot that some of the characters of "Game of Thrones" are in fact played by people of color. One such character is Missandei, who is played by Nathalie Emmanuel.
Missandei has been given a rather prominent role in the series being one of Daenerys' (Emilia Clarke) advisors and closest friend. Missandei's love interest, Grey Worm, is played by Jacob Anderson, who is also a black actor.
Furthermore, there have been several characters that were given prominent roles in the series like Areo Hotah (Deobia Oparei), Salladhor Saan (Lucian Msamati) and Xaro Xhoan Daxos (Nonso Anozie), who were played by actors of color. Not only that, most of the people living across the Narrow Sea are portrayed by people of color.
Series author George R.R. Martin previously defended the lack of diversity of the series, saying that Westeros' 300 AC setting isn't anywhere near the level of diversity that 21st century America has achieved. He also defended "Game of Thrones" showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss saying that the two have done what they can to promote diversity in the TV series.
