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ABC/Lou Rocco(NEW YORK) — Although John Boyega can easily relish in the fact that his sci-fi action film Pacific Rim Uprising managed to take Black Panther‘s number one spot at the box office over the weekend, the Star Wars actor recently took the time to share his thoughts on the Marvel superhero film.
“It’s amazing. Black Panther has done a lot,” Boyega tells ABC Radio. “I remember back in the day as a young black kid when being African was wasn’t the coolest thing.”
Born in London, England, Boyega’s family is originally from Nigeria. The young actor says that because of Black Panther, the next generation is now more encouraged to embrace their African roots.
“And now, in order for kids to kind of reference their favorite characters — their favorite superheroes — they have to refer back to Africa,” he says. “And I think is a start of a new thing. It’s the start of the connection between that African Americans and the African culture.”
But, before one can officially embrace one’s heritage, Boyega says they must first have an actual connection.
“And I think now more than ever most people now are trying to find their ancestry DNA,” he laughs. “These things are happening because of the influence of this film and I love it. I love it for the culture.”
Pacific Rim Uprising is out in theaters now.
Disney is the parent company of ABC News and Marvel Studios.
