NEW YORK -- British perfume brand Jo Malone has apologized to Black actor John Boyega of 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� fame after cutting him out of the Chinese version of a cologne commercial he helped create.
Jo Malone London said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter that the ad designed for Chinese audiences was a misstep and has been removed. The recreated ad replaced Boyega with Chinese star Liu Haoran.
鈥淭he concept for the film was based on John's personal experiences and should not have been replicated,鈥� it said.
Jo Malone and its parent company, Estee Lauder, didn't respond to emailed requests for comment Sunday. Boyega and his representatives also couldn't be reached for comment.
The original ad starring Boyega aired last year and was called 鈥淭he London Gent.鈥� It features the London-born actor walking around the neighbourhood where he grew up and riding a horse in a park, and it makes reference to his Nigerian heritage in a scene featuring West African attire.
It's not the first time Boyega has been deleted from a China-based ad. He played a leading role as Finn in 2015's 鈥淪tar Wars: The Force Awakens,鈥� but he and other nonwhite characters were removed or diminished from a Chinese poster for the movie.
Boyega has spoken out about Hollywood racism, recently telling GQ that Black characters have been 鈥減ushed to the side鈥� in Disney's 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� franchise.
