In a candid new BBC Two documentary, Star Wars and Attack the Block actor John Boyega reflects on the profound impact of the 2000 killing of his childhood friend, Damilola Taylor. During the opening scenes, the 34-year-old actor admits to feeling nervous about revisiting memories he has avoided for decades, noting that his heart races when discussing a day that remains a defining, if painful, chapter of his past. “I feel a bit nervous,” confesses John Boyega, as he sits down in front of the camera. “Speaking about it could possibly help. Boyega was one of the last people to see Damilola alive. It’s striking how young and vulnerable the 34-year-old actor looks as he talks about the death of his friend, watching the film at a Bafta screening a few weeks before its premiere. Be that his impassioned, impromptu address to thousands of people at a Black Lives Matter protest in Hyde Park, posing for the Pirelli calendar, or portraying an African king in a Hollywood movie, boyega is more often seen looking assured and confident. With broad shoulders supported by a proud stance, usually he stands tall.
Damilola Taylor was only 10 years old on November 27, 2000, when he was attacked while walking home from an after-school club at the Peckham library in south London. He was stabbed in the leg with a broken bottle and left to die in a concrete stairwell. The subsequent legal journey lasted six years and involved three separate trials at the Old Bailey, costing an estimated £16 million before a manslaughter conviction was finally secured.
Reflecting on the era, Boyega observes that the police investigation was widely criticized for significant errors. He expresses skepticism about whether the legal system learned necessary lessons from previous cases, such as the inquiry into the death of Stephen Lawrence. Throughout the process, the Boyega family followed the proceedings closely, feeling the weight of the injustice.
Boyega’s personal connection to the victim began when Damilola first arrived in the UK and joined Oliver Goldsmith primary school. Boyega’s sister, Grace, was assigned to chaperone the new student because both families were Nigerian. The actor recalls that his friendship with Damilola grew naturally because he was almost always in the company of his sister, eventually finding Damilola to be a hilarious companion. The pair had enjoyed a close friendship since Damilola’s move to the UK from Nigeria in August of that year.
His father, Samson, notes that as a child, John mostly surrounded himself with girls, joking that he once told his father he avoided boys because he feared they were dangerous and might beat him up. This protective upbringing was later echoed by the family’s choice to send Boyega to Westminster City School, nearly an hour away from their home, a decision he acknowledges may have been influenced by a desire to remove him from the neighborhood environment that felt increasingly precarious.
For the actor, Damilola’s death was a pivotal, transformational event. Having been only eight years old at the time, Boyega initially struggled to comprehend the permanence of death, believing it only affected the elderly. In the aftermath, he spent significant time withdrawn in his bedroom, often declining invitations to socialize. He explains that today, the psychological weight of that period has matured into a deep sense of gratitude for his own life. I haven’t revisited this in a long time. But because all the suspects were also children, his death shocked the nation not only because he was so young.
As he steps into the role of a father himself, Boyega suggests that this experience will influence how he raises his own child. During a BAFTA screening of the documentary, he remarked that while he might not watch the film multiple times due to the personal nature of the events, it serves as a meaningful reference point for when his child reaches an appropriate age. The actor confirmed he has been married for nearly two years and is navigating a new phase of life that contrasts sharply with the south London of his childhood, an area he notes has changed significantly and now requires him to have guidance to navigate.
The documentary aims to shed new light on the tragedy by speaking with key figures involved in the early stages of the investigation, including the estate maintenance worker who discovered Damilola. For Boyega, participating in the project was a difficult but necessary step. While he has previously said very little about his friend in public, he believes that sharing these memories now could potentially offer some measure of closure or help.
