Perfume company Jo Malone has issued an apology after John Boyega was cut from the Chinese version of an advert that he’d helped create.
Last year, Jo Malone debuted a new advertising campaign directed by and featuring the
Star Wars actor, which showed him walking around Peckham, where he was born and raised, dancing with
Friends and spending time at home with his family.
A reshot version of the ad featuring
Actor Liu Haoran in similar scenes was recently unveiled for the Chinese market, with a Jo Malone spokesperson having now apologised for the decision to remove John from the international clip.We are thrilled to announce that our Jo Malone
London Gent film featuring @JohnBoyega is the proud winner of The Fragrance Foundation Virtual Awards 2020 for Best Media Campaign. #ScentofAGent#TheFragranceFoundationAwardspic.twitter.com/rNZpTVXLB6— Jo Malone London (@JoMaloneLondon) August 27, 2020“We deeply apologise for what on our end was a mistake in the local execution of the John Boyega campaign,” they told The
Hollywood Reporter.
“John is a tremendous artist with great personal vision and direction. The concept for the film was based on John’s personal experiences and should not have been replicated.”
They continued: “While we immediately took action and removed the local version of the campaign, we recognise that this was painful and that offence was caused.
“We respect John, and support our partners and fans globally. We are taking this misstep very seriously and we are working together as a brand to do better moving forward.” John is yet to comment on the matter directly, but did reshare a post from one
Twitter user who wrote: “This is the ad John Boyega came up with and directed. It is great. Now, this man needs to be properly compensated for the thievery! No apology is good enough.”
He also retweeted a video from a fan highlighting the similarities between John’s original ad and the reshot version.This is the ad John Boyega came up with and directed. It is great. Now, this man needs to be properly compensated for the thievery! No apology is good enough. pic.twitter.com/QVduMN3ukJ— ferdosa @ #TIFF20 (virtually) (she/her) (@atomicwick) September 13, 2020🙄🙄 pic.twitter.com/rpiPe83URh— 恩典 Grace Boyega ™ (@GraceBoyega) September 14, 2020HuffPost
UK has contacted John Boyega’s representatives for further comment.
Earlier this month, John made headlines when he spoke of his experiences as a member of the Star Wars cast, saying that
Disney gave “all the nuance” to the saga’s white characters.
He said: “What I would say to Disney is do not bring out a Black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are and then have them pushed to the side.
“It’s not good. I’ll say it straight up.”READ MORE: Jordan Peele And Mark Hamill Praise John Boyega Following Rousing Anti-Racism Speech John Boyega Bought His Parents A House, And Their Reaction Is Guaranteed To Have You In Tears John Boyega Recalls Horrifying Moment His Lost Star Wars Script Ended Up On eBay