Actor John Boyega, who played Finn in the Disney “Star Wars” franchise, quit his role as global ambassador for the perfume brand Jo Malone after the company hired a Chinese actor for the Chinese campaign.
In a Twitter announcement posted on Tuesday, Boyega said that he helped create the ad campaign for Jo Malone before the company decided to use a Chinese actor for marketing in China.
“I have decided to step down as Jo Malone’s global ambassador. When I joined the brand as their first male global ambassador last year, I created the short film we used to launch the campaign. It won the Fragrance Foundation Virtual awards 2020 for Best Media Campaign,” he began.
“Their decision to replace my campaign in China by using my concepts and substituting a local brand ambassador for me, without either my consent or prior notice, was wrong,” he continued. “The film celebrated my personal story– showcasing my hometown, including my friends and featuring my family.”
Though Boyega understood that brands do use a variety of ambassadors for global branding, he felt that Jo Malone was “trading out one’s culture.”
“While many brands understandably use a variety of global and local ambassadors, dismissively trading out one’s culture this way is not something I can condone,” he tweeted.
“It’s back to back but I assure you this will be dealt with swiftly. I don’t have time for nonsense. We press on and strong. Stay blessed people,” he concluded.
Their decision to replace my campaign in China by using my concepts and substituting a local brand ambassador for me, without either my consent or prior notice, was wrong. The film celebrated my personal story– showcasing my hometown, including my friends and featuring my family.
— John Boyega (@JohnBoyega) September 14, 2020
It’s back to back but I assure you this will be dealt with swiftly. I don’t have time for nonsense. We press on and strong. Stay blessed people ❤️
— John Boyega (@JohnBoyega) September 14, 2020
According to The Associated Press, the original ad, titled “The London Gent,” aired last year and indeed featured much of Boyega’s own personal touch.
“It features the London-born actor walking around the neighborhood where he grew up and riding a horse in a park, and it makes a reference to his Nigerian heritage in a scene featuring West African attire,” said the report.
“It’s not the first time Boyega has been deleted from a China-based ad,” the report continued. “He played a leading role as Finn in 2015′s ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens,’ but he and other non-white characters were removed or diminished from a Chinese poster for the blockbuster movie.”