British actor John Boyega might now be a key part of Star Wars history with his leading role as Finn in the world-conquering blockbuster The Force Awakens, but he hasn’t forgotten his roots – as he has shown by becoming a patron of a London theatre where he had performed as a child.
Boyega, a former member of Theatre Peckham’s youth company, enthused that he was “honored to be in a position to give back” to the venue. In his new position with the theatre, he will launch the Name a Seat campaign, which is part of a fundraising initiative for Theatre Peckham.
The locally-born actor, seen above in an interview with talk show host Jimmy Fallon in December, expressed his admiration for the theatre’s “continued mission to increase diversity in the creative industries, inspiring young people like myself to be the change we want to see in this industry”.
Boyega had actually been set to play Olympic athlete Jesse Owens for the biographical sports drama Race, but dropped out to take his Star Wars role. Race has just arrived in the iTunes Store, and also comes under focus in the new issue of AppleMagazine, which can be yours by subscription.
