John Boyega Was Tired of Falling in STAR WARS and Asked J.J. Abrams for Finn to Have a "Level of Growth"

John Boyega didn’t want to spend another Star Wars movie face down in the dirt. At a recent Emerald City Comic Con panel (via Popverse), the actor behind Finn opened up about his conversations with The Rise of Skywalker director J.J. Abrams, specifically, about getting his character off the ground. Literally.“I was doing a lot of falling in Star Wars. So, I was like to J.J., ‘Can I be on my feet a little bit longer?'”Introduced in The Force Awakens as a runaway stormtrooper wielding a lightsaber, Finn started out with serious potential only to be sidelined in The Last Jedi. The middle chapter saw him waking from a coma, heading to Canto Bight, and getting into it with Captain Phasma, but much of his journey felt like a narrative detour.Boyega said: “There was a level of growth from The Last Jedi to The Rise of Skywalker that me and J.J. had spoke about adding. I was like to J.J., ‘I’m sick and tired of eating dirt J.J., I know how to move. My lightsaber skills are undeniable. Get me out there on the field.’”“I remember J.J. coming up to me and saying, ‘John, we’ve got you, we’ve got Poe, we’ve got Chewbacca running through the corridors, taking out these stormtroopers.’ And that’s when I said, ‘Yeah, that’s enough.’ That was a nice moment and something for me to revel in.”For the most part, though, Finn’s character could’ve been handled so much better in the trilogy and his story arc could’ve been stronger and way more interesting. While it’s still unclear if Finn will show up again in a galaxy far, far away, the character could show up again in the upcoming Rey Skywalker movie that’s currently in development.

Mar 26, 2025 - 19:05

John Boyega Was Tired of Falling in STAR WARS and Asked J.J. Abrams for Finn to Have a "Level of Growth"

John Boyega didn’t want to spend another Star Wars movie face down in the dirt. At a recent Emerald City Comic Con panel (via Popverse), the actor behind Finn opened up about his conversations with The Rise of Skywalker director J.J. Abrams, specifically, about getting his character off the ground. Literally.

“I was doing a lot of falling in Star Wars. So, I was like to J.J., ‘Can I be on my feet a little bit longer?'”

Introduced in The Force Awakens as a runaway stormtrooper wielding a lightsaber, Finn started out with serious potential only to be sidelined in The Last Jedi.

The middle chapter saw him waking from a coma, heading to Canto Bight, and getting into it with Captain Phasma, but much of his journey felt like a narrative detour.

Boyega said: “There was a level of growth from The Last Jedi to The Rise of Skywalker that me and J.J. had spoke about adding. I was like to J.J., ‘I’m sick and tired of eating dirt J.J., I know how to move. My lightsaber skills are undeniable. Get me out there on the field.’”

“I remember J.J. coming up to me and saying, ‘John, we’ve got you, we’ve got Poe, we’ve got Chewbacca running through the corridors, taking out these stormtroopers.’ And that’s when I said, ‘Yeah, that’s enough.’ That was a nice moment and something for me to revel in.”

For the most part, though, Finn’s character could’ve been handled so much better in the trilogy and his story arc could’ve been stronger and way more interesting.

While it’s still unclear if Finn will show up again in a galaxy far, far away, the character could show up again in the upcoming Rey Skywalker movie that’s currently in development.