War Of The Words: John Boyega Slams 'Game Of Thrones' For Lack Of Black Roles

Uh oh, it looks like there is a Star Wars and Game of Thrones crossover coming that no one really wants. A disappointed John Boyega is preparing to stick HBO's show with the pointy end over an apparent lack of diverse roles for non-white actors. Admittedly the Song of Ice and Fire saga is largely populated by slightly tanned southerners and pale-faced northerners, but is it really as bad as we think?

A Lack Of Diversity

In a recent interview with GQ, 25-year-old Boyega ripped into HBO's popular show and slammed the fantasy epic about a lack of roles for black actors in particular:

"There are no black people in 'Game of Thrones.' You don’t see one black person in 'Lord of the Rings'. I ain’t paying money to always see one type of person on-screen. You see different people from different backgrounds, different cultures, every day. Even if you’re a racist, you have to live with that. We can ruffle up some feathers.”

Boyega had previously spoken at the Screen Nation awards earlier this year and encouraged actors to “be the change you want to be.” While the issue is clearly prevalent, is it fair to single out #GameofThrones in particular? Across the past seven seasons, actors like Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Lucian Msamati, Jacob Anderson, and Nathalie Emmanuel have all had parts to play, while the last two in particular are still a big part of the show. Although the characters of Grey Worm and Missandei don't receive top billing on Game of Thrones, it doesn't look like they are going anywhere.

It is refreshing that stars like Boyega finally feel able to air their concerns and say what a lot of black actors are thinking in the fight for role equality, but sadly, Game of Thrones isn't a lone example. Shows like Twin Peaks, Big Little Lies, Prison Break, and Fargo aren't exactly up there in the Black Panther stakes of an inclusive cast.

You could technically call out AMC's The Walking Dead for an almost reverse of the Thrones fate, but one that is equally damaging. The popular zombie apocalypse has a large cast of mixed races, but we have seen actors like Chad Coleman and Lawrence Gilliard Jr. bow out relatively quickly after they joined the show. We still have Danai Gurira and Lennie James, but only this season, we killed off Sonequa Martin-Green. Does TWD instead suffer from a case of "Bury your Blacks"?

The (Star) Wars Of The Five Kings

Interestingly, Boyega's comments come just ahead of him reprising his role as Finn — a character who received intense negative backlash for being black when first introduced — in Disney's Star Wars franchise. Alongside Game of Thrones, the Star Wars series is one of the biggest entities to currently grace our screens, but it too isn't without its lack of diversity.

#StarWars too has the opportunity to influence people everywhere, and yet, the galaxy far, far away isn't exactly known for representing a rainbow of races either. Sure, the new films have introduced the likes of Boyega and Lupita Nyong'o, but the Lucasverse is still largely held up by white men and women.

Looking back at the original trilogy, there was only really Billy Dee Williams who flew the flag for representation, while actor Glynn Turman reportedly lost out on the role of Han Solo due to racial stereotypes. With The Force Awakens casting director Nina Gold also handling Game of Thrones, Boyega's words could just as easily be applied to his franchise. Gold herself recently took a stand on the issue and told Vanity Fair that casting shouldn't be taken so personally:

"I guess I don’t know what to really say about it, because it’s not like there’s no diversity in the casting in 'Game of Thrones.' We’ve turned Grey Worm and Missandei into really deep characters. I really do believe in diversity in casting, and always have done. I don’t feel I have to defend it, really."

Are the times changing?

As for Thrones, the issue of race isn't something to be taken lightly, while even author #GeorgeRRMartin has addressed the issue on his blog:

“Westeros around 300 AC is nowhere near as diverse as 21st century America, of course... but with that being said, I do have some "characters of color" who will have somewhat larger roles in Winds Of Winter. Admittedly, these are secondary and tertiary characters, though not without importance. Of course, I am talking about the books here, which is a thing apart [from the TV show].”

While the show and the novels are clearly very separate entities, Martin also went on to defend the decisions that HBO made with its casting:

“I do think HBO and [creators] David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss] are doing what they can to promote diversity as well, as witness the casting of Areo Hotah. Of course, Hotah is a guard... but he is also a viewpoint character in the novels, a brave and loyal warrior.”

Given that Thrones is a world of fiction, Benioff, Weiss, and the casting crew could easily have switched up some of the character races, but instead they stuck with a more faithful adaptation of Martin's text. Considering how descriptive Martin is with his characters, golden-haired Lannisters and blonde bombshell Targaryens don't exactly leave much room to maneuver anyway.

The issue of race shows no signs of going anywhere. Even with things on the up and the MCU's Black Panther promising to be one of the most diverse movies ever made, there's still plenty of terrain to cover before we finally see equal representation both in front of an behind the camera. In the meantime, the Star Wars actor will undoubtedly continue his quest for equality, but perhaps he could also direct his truth telling elsewhere outside the Seven Kingdoms — believe me, there are much worse offenders on the list.

(Sources: GQ, Vanity Fair, GRRM)