Hey John, tell us about the call letting you know that you’d be playing Finn.
Well, I actually met [director] J.J. Abrams in a restaurant in Mayfair, London and that’s when he told me I was going to get the part. He was there with Larry Kasdan (Force Awakens writer, Lawrence Kasdan) who was there for support, and Larry told me about the audition process so far, how everything was going and how excited he is. After that, he just broke it to me that I was going to be the new star of the new Star Wars.
And then?
And then the world froze for that split second and it was one of the most touching moments in my life.
Did you know this was going to happen?
Well, I went through seven months of reading and auditioning for the part and thought there must be a reason why they keep asking me back so many times. I felt I had developed a really good Finn for them to choose from, my confidence was definitely growing, and J.J. and I got on really well too. But yeah, nothing prepares you for when they actually tell you.
How did you celebrate thIS news? Was it a big night out with your mates?
No, not at all, I actually spent time with my family and just took it all in. It was just such a crazy shock, man. I had no idea I was going to hear that news. It was a random meeting where J.J. just told me to come to this restaurant and next thing you know I’m in one of the biggest movie franchises ever.
Once they told you, was there one thing you were looking forward to most about playing Finn.
Yes, mixing with the old cast and generation of Star Wars characters and seeing how it would work with the newbies. This was one of the things that made me feel very optimistic and, as it turned out, it really lived up to my expectations.
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