Game of Thrones is just too white for Star Wars star John Boyega

Despite the immense popularity of HBO’s Game of Thrones, not everyone out there is watching, including John Boyega of Star Wars fame.

John Boyega is not a fan of Game of Thrones — but it has nothing to do with the plot.

Recently, Boyega made some interesting comments which have since been picked up by news outlets such as Digital Spy. Apparently, he isn’t watching the acclaimed series as he seems disturbed by the lack of diversity in the cast. In other words, there aren’t enough black people on the show.

Boyega said in an interview with GQ that “there are no black people on Game of Thrones,” adding that the Lord of the Rings films had the same issue. “I ain’t paying money to always see one type of person on-screen,” he adds, suggesting he won’t even watch a film or TV series if the cast isn’t diverse enough.

Certainly, those of us watching know that there are black performers in the cast. But perhaps their roles aren’t prominent enough to get Boyega to tune in. Commenting on that matter, though, franchise creator George R. R. Martin explained exactly why that is:

"Westeros around 300 AC is nowhere near as diverse as 21st century America, of course… but with that being said, I do have some ‘characters of color’ who will have somewhat larger roles in WINDS OF WINTER. Admittedly, these are secondary and tertiary characters, though not without importance."

Martin is referring to his books, rather than the films, but the point does remain the same. Game of Thrones is set in a different time and place than the world we are living in now. The show’s casting has nothing to do with racism, and I wish Boyega could see that — he’s missing one hell of a show.

New episodes of Game of Thrones air Sunday nights on HBO.