I met Americans who were confused there are black people in London – John Boyega

Star Wars actor, John Boyega, has voiced concerns about the lack of diverse ethnic representation in British films.

The actor, in making his point, said one of the offshoots of very few black characters in British films is that some Americans think there are no black people in London.

The 27-year-old was speaking to Radio Times and touched on the experience he found in promoting 2011’s Attack The Block.

Boyega was quoted as saying: “I’m black British and I’m from London. And that in itself is something that the world doesn’t know about yet. I met American people – civilians of a first-world country – who were confused that there were black people in London.”

The actor, whose parents are Nigerian, decried what he feels has become an unfortunate signifier of British culture and population.

He felt films should tell better stories of real situations, adding, “[T]hat’s why entertainment is so special, it’s a great chance to bring people together and open them up to things they haven’t seen before.”

Boyega came into prominence in 2015 for his role as a reluctant stormtrooper named FN-2187 in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

He has since gone on to star in a few other big-budget flicks, while working with established filmmakers such as Kathryn Bigelow and JJ Abrams.