John Boyega Reveals He Was Always Stopped For "Random Checks" When Flying To America

Star Wars breakout star John Boyega has revealed that he used to be stopped by American border officials for “random checks” every time he flew to the United States.

The 25 year old star said that, before he found widespread fame as Finn in The Force Awakens at the end of 2015, the checks happened all the time and had a disconcerting effect on him.

“I used to fly back and forth when I was hustling and auditioning for things in Los Angeles,” Boyega told London’s Evening Standard this week in a new interview.

John Boyega spoke about being stopped at airports in America for "random checks"

“I’d get cheap flights and stay there for two weeks or whatever. And every time I was getting these random checks. Every. Single. Time. I wish I remembered the airline because I called them out on it, too. Like, ‘This stuff ain’t right’. They said it was a problem Stateside, they gave me a letter and it stopped. But before that it was consistent.”

Fellow Star Wars actor and British star Riz Ahmed, who featured in spin-off movie Rogue One at the end of last year, also recently shared his experiences with American airport security in an interview.

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The British star added: “I understand that [these things] are for our safety but when you fly a lot and it happens three or four times there’s an element of, ‘Okay, I’m still not a terrorist’.”

Boyega, who is set to reprise his role in Star Wars: The Last Jedi when it’s released in December this year, also addressed his recent comments in reply to Samuel L. Jackson, who criticised black British actors being cast in films concerning American race relations.

“I just think there’s no end result in black Brits and African-Americans going back and forth at each other,” Boyega, who stars in the upcoming Detroit about the city’s unrest in 1967, commented.

“I rate Sam and he’s always showed me love — he’s like a big unc — but across the planet, the black experience is a layered one and his comments didn’t represent that.”

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