LOS ANGELES, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Actor John Boyega has responded to critics who questioned his appearance as a black stormtrooper in the new teaser trailer for J.J. Abrams' highly anticipated seventh Star Wars installment, Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
The trailer begins with the 22-year-old London native in a stormtrooper's uniform. Some fans took to social media to argue that stormtroopers can't be black because they are the clones of a white man.
— Captain Evers (@brandon_evers)
November 30, 2014
Boyega, who previously starred in
Attack the Block, responded to critics on Saturday.
"To whom it may concern ... Get used to it :)" he wrote in an Instagram post.
On Friday, The Atlantic's Kriston Capps refuted claims that stormtroopers are meant to be white clones.
Those clones weren't white in any sense of the word. Jango Fett, the bounty hunter who served as the genetic template, was culturally (and perhaps ethnically) a Mandalorian. And the actor who portrays him, Temuera Derek Morrison, is a New Zealand-born person of brown skin and partial Maori descent.
Boyega, who called himself a "Star Wars fan" in the post, also thanked his supporters and expressed enthusiasm for the project.
Thank you for all the love and support! The fan mail and fan art has added to my joy! Isn't it crazy that Star Wars is actually happening? I'm in the movie but as a star wars fan I am very excited. A year is a long time but it will be worth the wait.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theaters December 15, 2015.
