Actor John Boyega loves a healthy challenge. “I like the ability to just not play myself at all,” he said on Wednesday morning. He spoke on Zoom from a hotel room in Miami, where he was preparing to attend the Black Film Festival. “I want to play characters who are far-fetched from who I am in real life.”
The 31 year old, who grew up in London, has certainly scratched that itch over the course of his breakthrough career—he’s played the heroic skywalker Finn in the Star Wars franchise, a tribal king in the critically acclaimed Woman King. and a South London teen fighting to save the world in Attack the Block. But the actor’s latest role certainly required the extra-large leap of imagination. In his latest film, Netflix’s They Cloned Tyrone, Boyega plays not only the titular protagonist, but also cloned versions of the character, the products of a government-backed lab performing shady experimentations on the local Black population. The surreal, sci-fi plot, which required quite the number of takes for Boyega in his multiple roles, is an imaginative exploration of race and, more specifically, the legacy of unethical medical experimentation on Black communities.
The plot struck a chord with Boyega. “When I first started my career, I wanted to find a script or a story that felt like a fresh and new idea,” Boyega said. He felt like he found that with They Cloned Tyrone, a Blaxploitation-inflected film that was produced after it was placed on The Black List—a collection of popular, but unmade, screenplays circulating around Hollywood. “You have these stereotypical archetypes, but there’s a deeper reason for that.”
The premiere of such an out-of-the-box film, which took place on Wednesday night at Black Film Festival, called for an equally unorthodox red carpet appearance, Boyega figured. His idea: hit the red carpet three times, once as himself and twice as clones. Netflix loved the concept. “We had already done a press day where we filmed myself interviewing myself,” Boyega explained. “So we were like how can we continue that through the press tour?”
The final result was an exploration of Boyega’s personality through fashion. One look went heavy on the edge with leather pants and a biker jacket by Versace. “I know I’m crazy to wear that in Miami,” Boyega says, alluding to the humidity of the coastal city. “But that look taps into my side that likes to show out.” He wore a set of grillz, similar to ones his character wears in the film. For the second look, Boyega wore a look by Chinese designer Calvin Luo that included pleated khakis and an oversized, boxy red shirt. Then he changed into another Versace creation (there’s never a thing as too much Versace) featuring a lime-green satin camp shirt and flared pipe trousers, leaning into tropical vibes. “I feel like they all showed the different sides of me,” Boyega said.
Boyega says having such unabashed fun with fashion represents a personal growth that, luckily, mirrors a larger trend around actors in Hollywood right now. “I think finding your taste in this industry can be really hard,” Boyega said. “Because when you’re first starting out they all just dress you as if you’re a lawyer or running for congress. You just gotta look nice, in a suit—pleasant, not trying to do too much. But as the industry is changing, actors are now able to express themselves. For me, it’s a great opportunity to bring in some of my swag—especially with being from London.”
The playful approach to the red carpet feels like the ultimate capstone to what has been an exciting and exhilarating project for Boyega. “This vibe on Tyrone reminded me of Attack The Block the most,” Boyega says, referencing one of his earlier projects from 2011. “I had just started out, fresh new eyes, excited about everything. Weirdly enough, it felt like that with Tyrone. I think also working on a movie that felt culturally close to what I know —the food I like, the music I listen to—you feel way more at home in that type of environment.”
The feeling of fulfillment, and acceptance, rings especially poignant for Boyega. In 2020, during the height of unrest and protests against racial injustice across the globe, the actor spoke out against perceived biases and unfair treatment in Hollywood. While speaking out certainly poised the risk of closing major doors, it also opened up new ones. “You’re met with the best collaborators,” the actor said. “You get to feel who’s for you. That’s why They Cloned Tyrone came on the table.”
