SINGAPORE - British actor John Boyega ripped a hole in the fabric of the Star Wars universe when in interviews earlier this year, he spoke about how his character Finn, the stormtrooper who defected to the resistance, was "pushed to the side".

First introduced in 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Finn seemed poised to be a central player. Boyega was made the model of a more inclusive franchise that until then used non-white actors in supporting roles.

But in The Last Jedi (2017) and closing chapter The Rise Of Skywalker (2019), Finn and the character of Rose Tico, played by Kelly Marie Tran, an American actress of Vietnamese heritage, became an industry cliche: The non-white characters who help the white saviours, played by Adam Driver and Daisey Ridley, win the day.

Instead of going with the original story of normal humans like Finn, Rose and Poe Dameron (played by Oscar Isaac) winning the right to lead a revolution against the dictatorial First Order, Disney decided to fall back on a safer arc. The focus shifted to elites become leaders because of their lineage.

Boyega, 28, can now be seen in the anthology miniseries Small Axe, comprising five films created and directed by Oscar-winning British film-maker Steve McQueen.

The films are based on stories, both fact-based and fictional, about people from London's West Indian community. Over centuries, immigrants from the Caribbean settled in the city, creating a distinct identity for themselves and marked by social progress but also racial oppression.

Boyega appears in the third film titled Red, White And Blue. It is based on the true story of Leroy Logan, a forensics scientist who becomes a police officer after his father is assaulted by two white officers acting on racist impulses. Logan was held up as someone who represented a new, more progressive force.

Speaking to the global press in a virtual conference for Small Axe in October, Boyega was asked if there was anything in Logan's experience that mirrored his own.

Without addressing the Star Wars controversy directly, he spoke about the psychological impact of becoming the face of a brand.

"For Leroy, there was a marketing side. He was in the newspapers. He was the face of a new, diverse police force, used to motivate other black individuals to join," he says.

"You definitely relate to a character like Leroy, navigating spaces that basically had white people all the time."

In conversations he had with the real-life Logan, Boyega spoke about how he was able to decode Logan's facial expression in publicity photographs, which showed that the officer was unhappy with how the force was treating him, and copied it for the film.

"I know what face to pull because not everyone will get it, but my people will get it. Leroy said, 'Yo, I was pissed at the time they were doing this', and I understand how he was feeling," he says.

The actor's frankness about being sidelined by the Star Wars team is rare in a business that sabotages the careers of those who speak out, as the lawsuits against executives that provoked the Me Too movement have shown.

Asked where his outspokenness comes from, Boyega says forcing oneself to "morph to navigate complicated spaces" takes a toll on mental health.

"You're doing that Monday to Friday. It eats into your creativity, makes you distrust people. I refuse to bend to fit in. I understand my privilege, but it is also my privilege to make sure I can be an example for those who are coming as well," he adds.

"I'm just me. For me, I have to speak up."

Red, White and Blue is the third film of the Small Axe anthology miniseries, now showing on BBC First (StarHub Channel 502) and BBC Player. It will also be available on demand.