Today’s edition of the London newspaper, Evening Standard, contains an article with some interesting comments by actor John Boyega concerning his upcoming role as Finn in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, as well as the intense auditioning process he went through.

According to the report, Boyega says he cried when he first read the script and some interesting comments were made concerning his character.

Boyega said:

“When I read the script I cried, and I’m not really a big crier … I’m more like a frog-in-the-throat kind of guy, who’ll try to hold it in and make sure I don’t let it all out.”

Describing the auditions he had to get through, overseen by director J J Abrams, he also told GQ Style magazine it was a thorough process.

He said:

“I was unleashed into seven months of auditions. It was like The X Factor but without the TV show around it. It was intense.”

We have already seen Finn wielding his blue lightsaber in the recent 30 second teaser. But the question remains – Is he a Jedi, or just a pretender? Is he the main lead in the film? Does he play second fiddle to Ridley’s character Rey, or do they share the screen in a dual lead capacity?

The report makes an interesting statement that Finn is a “Jedi in training” (which is more than likely taken from the GQ interview and may be a legitimate statement) but whether or not these words came directly from Boyega himself are unclear.

He certainly is in love with his character, calling Finn his favorite, and even views his own character as a “leading man”. While this report is not overflowing with many new revelations, it is definitely worth a look.

The interview will be in GQ this Thursday. Hopefully, more light will be shed on these comments then.

Special thanks to our reader Jason Arber for the tip!

UPDATE!

Here’s the actual excerpt from the GQ interview:

On auditioning for Star Wars:

“I was unleashed into seven months of auditions. It was like The X Factor but without the TV show around it. It was intense.”

On reading the script for Star Wars:

“When I read the script I cried, and I’m not really a big crier… I’m more like a frog-in-the- throat kind of guy, who’ll try to hold it in and make sure I don’t let it all out.”

On his role in the movie:

“Finn is dope. His story is so epic. It’s a story that’s never been seen before, but it also mirrors the stories of Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. And he’s quirky and charismatic and funny. For me, he was the best character in the script.”

On using a lightsaber:

“They’re heavy, those things, and there’s a lot of running involved. I was trained on a high incline treadmill so when it came to it I could sprint around the desert in a leather jacket. They should do a Star Wars weight loss program.”

As you can see, this excerpt never mentions the word Jedi. Still the actor was specifically trained to use this weapon, and I can confirm that Finn has more than one scene in the movie where he wields the lightsaber. (Viral Hide)

For the full interview, grab you GQ issue tomorrow.