John Boyega as Finn in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Ray Fisher in Justice League

The marginalization of minorities and underserved communities in Hollywood has been ingrained in the industry since its inception. Often times a microcosm for the rest of the country, film productions are not averse to stereotyping, sidelining, and deflating characters of color for the benefit of their white counterparts.

Outside of some outliers like 2018s Black Panther, actors of color have not been given the shine they deserve in Hollywoods most lucrative franchises. Whether it be simply a side-character in a white heros larger story or simply there for comic relief, characters of color, specifically in the Black community, dont get their due. Most recently, two actors have spoken out about their roles and time on set. John Boyega, the actor best known as Finn from Star Wars, and Ray Fisher, known for DCs Cyborg, have made their stance clear on this issue.

John Boyega was candid in his interview with GQ magazine about the bait-and-switch marketing of his character, Finn, in the Star Wars franchise.

What I would say to Disney is do not bring out a black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are and then have them pushed to the side. Its not good. Ill say it straight up, Boyega stated frankly.

From his debut in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Boyegas Finn was set up to be one of the main characters in the Sequel trilogy of the long-standing franchise. Directed by J.J. Abrams, Boyega was an equal co-star of Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver. Each character had specifics arcs set in motion and Finn wielded the iconic Skywalker lightsaber for the majority of the film. Perhaps a tease to the first Black Jedi since Samuel L. Jacksons Mace Windu, these threads were promptly dropped in Rian Johnsons Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Like, you guys knew what to do withDaisy Ridley, you knew what to do withAdam Driver, Boyega explained. You knew what to do with these other people, but when it came to Kelly Marie Tran, when it came to John Boyega, you know f**k all. So what do you want me to say? What they want you to say is, I enjoyed being a part of it. It was a great experience... Nah, nah, nah. Ill take that deal when its a great experience. They gave all the nuance to Adam Driver, all the nuance to Daisy Ridley. Lets be honest. Daisy knows this. Adam knows this. Everybody knows. Im not exposing anything, Boyega concluded. Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Boyegas role in The Last Jedi was staunchly different from the first film. Gone were many of the threads that Abrams set up for the character as Finn was deduced to a side-story alongside actress of color, Kelly Marie Tran. Boyega did see an elevated role in Abrams The Rise of Skywalker, but the franchise had moved so far from The Force Awakens that his overall arc felt a bit disjointed and weak compared to his co-stars.

Boyegas words speak to a larger issue in the industry. In July, Justice League actor Ray Fisher tweeted about the unprofessional behavior during the Joss Whedon-led reshoots of the film.

HOLLYWOOD, CA - NOVEMBER 13: Actor Ray Fisher arrives at the premiere of Warner Bros. Pictures' ... [+] 'Justice League' at Dolby Theatre on November 13, 2017 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

Joss Wheadons on-set treatment of the cast and crew of Justice League was gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable. He was enabled, in many ways, by Geoff Johns and Jon Berg. Accountability>Entertainment, Fisher shared with his followers.

Fisher did not mince words in alleging the mistreatment he and his fellow Justice League co-stars went through on set at the hands of Whedon, Geoff Johns and Jon Berg. While Berg denied Fishers claims, WarnerMedia recently opened an investigation into the claims.

Outside of the alleged mistreatment on set, there is something to be said about Fishers role as Cyborg in the superhero team-up. InZack Snydersinitialproduction ofJustice League, Fisher had a fleshed-out role, with impact to the plot and an individual agency to his character, according to Fisher and Snyder.

Similar to John Boyega, Fishers Cyborg was advertised as having a substantial role; in the film he wasreduced to a gag-character.A couple of catchphrases and laughing about the lack of feeling in your toes was a disservice to the long-standing Black superhero. Fisher, in an interview with The Black Cape, spoke on the importance of his character being taken seriously.

It was important for me, its important especially for them (Snyder and Terrio) as well, that Cyborg is not just relegated to being the catchphrase spitting cool Black dude. Thats not anything that Im interested in watching. Its definitely not anything Im interested in portraying, Fisher explained.

Zack Snyder has spoken many times about how Fishers character is the heart of his original film and fans will see the real Cyborg in 2021s Zack Snyders Justice League, where the actor was given a larger role and even a say in Chris Terrios script.

The characters that Im excited to fully flesh out? Of course itsCyborg. Hes the heart of the movie. He holds the team together in a lot of ways and Im excited for fans to see how its realized, said Snyder during his DC Fandome panel.

Both Boyega and Fisher have been on the frontlines following the police killing of George Floyd. Boyega has stood side-by-side with the protesters advocating for police reform. Fisher has also used his platform to highlight police brutality against the Black community. The two actors have not been shy in speaking out against the systemic racism across all areas of society and the unconscious biases that affect their own careers, making them important to lead the conversation here as well.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 03: Star Wars actor John Boyega takes part in a Black Lives Matter ... [+] Demonstration in Hyde Park, London on June 3, 2020. Thousands of protesters gathered in central London on Wednesday to show solidarity with Black Lives Matter demonstrations in the US, which were sparked by the death of George Floyd. Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American, was filmed gasping for air and pleading for breath as Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, kneeled on his neck for around nine minutes. (Photo by Kate Green/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The box office is starting to show that representation matters to the audience. If movies like Black Panther can reach a billion dollars at the box office, and films like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse can become a resounding success, there is no excuse for the major studios in Hollywood to treat them as sideshows. Boyega had his largest Star Wars role in The Force Awakens, a film that made $2 billion at the box office. Neither of its sequels managed to do as well. If Finn was given equal standing to Rey and Kylo Ren, perhaps it might have.

Boyega and Fisher represent two examples of a much larger problem in Hollywood. The two actors have strongly focused on their identity as Black men in Hollywood. Both actors made a point to discuss their how something as simple as their hair can become a topic of contention, with Boyega speaking on working with hairstylists that had no experience of working with hair like his but still had the guts to pretend, or Fisher bringing his own barber to the set of Justice League but the Whedon-led production ignoring his pleas to add him to the credits. The latter will be credited in 2021s Zack Snyders Justice League.

The weight of their respective roles as Finn and Cyborg gives both actors the platform to speak on their roles, but there are many that continue to stay invisible. If the film industry cant portray their heroes of color with nuance and three-dimensions in their billion-dollar films, those with smaller roles in lower-budget films wont get their due respect either. Lets hope Boyega and Fishers comments spark Hollywoods largest studios to create real change and allow for stronger and organic representation.

Update(9/7/2020): The headline of this post was updated on 9/5/2020. The post also clarifies that Fishers claims of on-set mistreatment are alleged andattributesthe characterization of Fishers Cyborg to Fisher and Snyder.

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As John Boyega And Ray Fisher Show, Actors Of Color Have Largely Not Been Given Their Due In Hollywoods Big Franchises - Forbes