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John Boyega on the challenging contradictions of new movie Breaking

john boyega, breaking
John Boyega on the challenging new movie BreakingBleecker Street

Star Wars star John Boyega has opened up about the challenging contradictions of his new movie Breaking.

The movie, which is based on real-life events from 2017 and inspired by Aaron Gell's article They Didn't Have to Kill Him, stars Boyega as Marine Veteran Brian Brown-Easley.

After struggling financially and being denied support from Veterans Affairs, the ex-Marine heads to an Atlanta branch of the Wells Fargo Bank, which he attempts to rob.

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Related: John Boyega responds to question of Doctor Who cameo

Speaking about what initially drew him to the role, Boyega said that Brian Brown-Easley's polite manners and demeanour made him an unlikely candidate to perform a bank heist.

"I was intrigued by someone who's doing [something] so violent like robbing a bank but saying please and thank you," Boyega told Radio Times.

According to Boyega, the actor found the contradictory nature of Brown-Easley's behaviour challenging to portray.

"I was like, wait, what is this? I thought in moments like this I'd be playing stereotypical emotional beats to help suit a bank heist or whatever it is, and it was none of that. And I think that's quite challenging and something that's interesting to me."

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Related: John Boyega pays tribute to The Wire's Michael K Williams as trailer lands for their new movie

Crediting the films director Abi Damaris Corbin's extensive research along with speaking to Brown-Easley's ex-wife Jessica for helping him get into character, Boyega said: "The combination of that is what really, really helped me to get a true idea into how I was going to portray this man."

Last year, Boyega paid tribute to his Breaking co-star Michael K Williams, after the actor, who is best known for his portrayal of Omar Little on HBO's The Wire, sadly died in 2021.

Sharing a trailer for the film on Twitter, Boyega wrote: "Here's the trailer for my new movie BREAKING. A special thank you to Micheal K Williams for joining us on this journey."

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