John Boyega quits Jo Malone role after being axed from Chinese advert

15 September 2020, 15:02 | Updated: 5 October 2020, 12:56

The Star Wars actor shared a statement on social media after the incident.

John Boyega has stepped down as ambassador for fragrance brand Jo Malone after they removed him from their Chinese campaign.

John Boyega delivers emotional speech during Black Lives Matter protest in London

The Star Wars actor, 28, created the original short film for the brand last year. The video, titled 'London Gent', shows Boyega walking through his hometown of Peckham, surrounded by friends and family and riding on a white horse.

However, Boyega was cut from the advert which was reshot for the Chinese market, and replaced by Chinese actor Liu Haoran. Last night (14 Sep), Boyega cut ties with the company, labelling their decision as "wrong".

"I have decided to step down as Jo Malone's global ambassador. When I joined the brand as their first male global ambassador last year, I created the short film we used to launch the campaign. It won the Fragrance Foundation Virtual awards 2020 for Best Media Campaign," he wrote.

"Their decision to replace my campaign in China by using my concepts and substituting a local brand ambassador for me, without either my consent or prior notice, was wrong. The film celebrated my personal story– showcasing my hometown, including my friends and featuring my family."

"While many brands understandably use a variety of global and local ambassadors , dismissively trading out one’s culture this way is not something I can condone."

"It’s back to back but I assure you this will be dealt with swiftly. I don’t have time for nonsense. We press on and strong. Stay blessed people," he concluded.

Jo Malone, owned by Estee Lauder, has since issued an apology and removed the advert from its campaign in China. "We deeply apologise for what, on our end, was a mistake in the local execution of the John Boyega campaign," they said in statement on Monday.

"John is a tremendous artist with great personal vision and direction," said Jo Malone London in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. "The concept for the film was based on John's personal experiences and should not have been replicated."

"While we immediately took action and removed the local version of the campaign, we recognise that this was painful and that offence was caused," they added.

"We respect John, and support our partners and fans globally. We are taking this misstep very seriously and we are working together as a brand to do better moving forward."

> Download Our Free App For All The Latest News!