Star Wars actor John Boyega has spoken publicly for the first time about the murder of his childhood friend Damilola Taylor, describing it as a 'life-changing' event that 'shaped' who he is today.
The 32-year-old, who played Finn in the Disney saga, revealed that a poignant moment at Damilola's funeral inspired him to pursue his dreams of acting. Damilola was 10 years old when he was attacked with a broken bottle and left to die in Peckham, south-east London, on 27 November 2000.
Boyega and his sister Grace were among the last people to see Damilola alive. Recalling the aftermath, Boyega told BBC Radio 4's Last Word: 'From the hours we left him in Peckham to the hours when I went home, and then the police was at our door and there was a whole investigation that we were involved in, (it) was definitely life-changing for me.'
At Damilola's funeral, his father Richard Taylor read a poem Damilola had written about his ambitions. Boyega said: 'I found that quite profound... I was just like, yeah, I have no excuse. I want to be a movie star – and not just because I want to be one but because someone else like Damilola Taylor, in my environment too, dreamed to be more.'
Boyega had deliberately avoided speaking about the murder until now, but was motivated by the death of Richard Taylor, who died on 23 March aged 75. He described Richard as 'a man that was for the people and for the community' who 'turned his loss into something triumphant'.
