--- description: The actor told GQ that his character's story is "so epic" title: The New 'Star Wars' Script Made Star John Boyega Cry image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaced1bc6aeb82561/69886545e20a87fdc8a8d729/gettyimages-484197676.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The New _Star Wars_ Script Made Star John Boyega Cry by [Rachel Handler](/author/rachel-handler/) ## Rachel Handler Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 24, 2015 3:47 PM CUT  D23 EXPO 2015 - D23 EXPO, the ultimate Disney fan event, brings together all the past, present and future of Disney entertainment under one roof. Taking place August 14-16, this year marks the fourth D23 EXPO at the Anaheim Convention Center and promises to be the biggest and most spectacular yet. (Photo by Disney/Image Group LA via Getty Images) JOHN BOYEGA D23 EXPO 2015 - D23 EXPO, the ultimate Disney fan event, brings together all the past, present and future of Disney entertainment under one roof. Taking place August 14-16, this year marks the fourth D23 EXPO at the Anaheim Convention Center and promises to be the biggest and most spectacular yet. (Photo by Disney/Image Group LA via Getty Images) JOHN BOYEGAImage Group LA—2015 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc by [Rachel Handler](/author/rachel-handler/) ## Rachel Handler Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 24, 2015 3:47 PM CUT John Boyega hasn’t been in very many films yet, but the ones he _has_ starred in have been pretty dark: In sci-fi comedy _Attack The Block_, his 2011 debut, Boyega played a teen on the run from murderous aliens; in 2013’s drama _Half Of A Yellow Sun,_ he played a young man struggling desperately to survive the Nigerian Civil War. Still, as Boyega told [_GQ_](http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/style/articles/2015-09/21/gq-style-aw-2015-john-boyega-cover-shoot "undefined") this week, it was his upcoming breakout role in _Star Wars: The Force Awakens_ that brought him to tears. “When I read the script I cried, and I’m not really a big crier,” admitted Boyega. “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.” Though Boyega couldn’t say much about the movie’s plot or his character Finn’s arc, he did share that Finn’s story is similar to that of our favorite Jedi: “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.” Boyega also revealed that it took nearly seven months of auditions to land the part—“It was like _The X Factor_ but without the TV show around it”—and that filming itself was just as intense. “They’re heavy, \[the lightsabers\], 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,” Boyega said, then quipped,“They should do a _Star Wars_ weight loss program.” _Star Wars: The Force Awakens_ hits theaters Dec. 18. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4048339/star-wars-script-john-boyega-cry/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4048339/star-wars-script-john-boyega-cry/"},"headline":"The New Star Wars Script Made Star John Boyega Cry","datePublished":"2015-09-24T15:47:55.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:25:10.453Z","description":"The actor told GQ that his character's story is \"so epic\"","url":"https://time.com/4048339/star-wars-script-john-boyega-cry/","keywords":["movies","Newsfeed"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaced1bc6aeb82561/69886545e20a87fdc8a8d729/gettyimages-484197676.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rachel Handler","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/rachel-handler/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaced1bc6aeb82561/69886545e20a87fdc8a8d729/gettyimages-484197676.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"ABC's Coverage Of The D23 Expo 2015","caption":"ABC's Coverage Of The D23 Expo 2015","creditText":"Image Group LA—2015 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/movies/","name":"movies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4048339/star-wars-script-john-boyega-cry/","name":"The New Star Wars Script Made Star John Boyega Cry"}}]}] ```