John Boyega Steps Down as Jo Malone Brand Ambassador

“Star Wars” actor John Boyega severs ties with Jo Malone London after being replaced in award-winning video campaign.

When “Star Wars” up-and-comer John Boyega joined forces with luxury fragrance brand Jo Malone, the partnership was widely accepted as a natural step to diversify the London brand. 

After starting with Jo Malone in 2019 as their first male ambassador, Boyega quickly took on a larger role, lending his wide array of creative talents to a short film for the brand’s latest line of colognes.

Shot in and around his diverse hometown of Peckham in London, “A London Gent” featured Boyega’s closest friends and family members—and even shots of Boyega in his new home—surrounded by Jo Malone candles. The film included personal memories and served as an homage to his humble upbringing and a celebration of the man he had become. 

The film went on to win the award for best campaign at the UK Fragrance Foundation Awards this August.

Despite his film’s award-winning success, Boyega chose to step down from his brand ambassadorship last week, after learning that Jo Malone had re-shot his campaign for the Chinese market. 

“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,” said Boyega on Twitter. “The film celebrated my personal story–showcasing my hometown, including my friends and featuring my family.”

Without notice or compensation for his role in crafting the short film, Boyega was blindsided by the brand’s choice to replace him and the all-Black cast with local celebrities, who were thought to appeal more to a Chinese audience.

“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,” Boyega tweeted.

Black entertainers and artists are often thought to be less appealing for international audiences, yet the global impact of Black culture is quite obvious. From innovative streetwear brands, to mainstream hip-hop and rap artists, many Asian cultures have adopted these cultural markers as their own. 

However, this doesn’t stop companies from employing misguided marketing for global consumers.

During the international release of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” Disney received a slew of online criticism when fans learned that Boyega’s image was significantly smaller on the Chinese poster than the rest of his castmates. Boyega, who played the third largest role in the film, was also hidden below other white supporting characters, including Harrison Ford’s Han Solo and Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia.

Positioning white characters over their Black colleagues, and replacing Black actors with those who are lighter-skinned, are needlessly discriminatory acts. At a time when Black creatives are demanding recognition and just compensation for their work, these companies’ actions appear outdated and blind to the current movement.  

Their missteps are a reminder that Black people must be represented at every table where decisions are being made in order to begin representing the group as a whole. 

No matter if they are in front of the camera or behind it, gifted Black creatives deserve to be recognized for their work. Artists like Boyega are paving the way for generations of young Black people to find opportunities in mainstream media, proving that skin color doesn’t determine ability or worth.