British perfume brand Jo Malone has apologised to black actor John Boyega of Star Wars fame after cutting him out of the Chinese version of a cologne commercial he helped to create.
Jo Malone London said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter that the advertisement designed for Chinese audiences was a misstep and has been removed. The recreated advertisement replaced Boyega with Chinese star Liu Haoran.
"The concept for the film was based on John’s personal experiences and should not have been replicated,” it said.
Jo Malone and its parent company, Estee Lauder, didn't respond to requests for comment on Sunday. Boyega and his representatives also couldn't be reached for comment.
The original advertisement starring Boyega was broadcast last year and was called The London Gent. It feels deeply personal to Boyega's experience and features the London-born actor walking around the district where he grew up and riding a horse in a park.
It also 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 advertisement. He played a leading role as Finn in 2015′s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but he and other non-white 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 had been "pushed to the side" in Disney's Star Wars franchise.
The actor was also very outspoken on social media after George Floyd was killed in the US, and was seen protesting in London. He gave an impassioned speech on a megaphone during one protest that went viral. During the speech, as tears streamed down his face, he said: "Look, I don't know if I'm going to have a career after this, but [...] that."
When he got backlash from some fans for his words he replied that anyone who didn't like his opinion could stop following him. "You lot can't rattle me. I'm not the guy to be rattled. I wasn't raised by no weak people."
– With additional reporting by AP
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
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DIVINE%20INTERVENTOIN
%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Elia%20Suleiman%2C%20Manal%20Khader%2C%20Amer%20Daher%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Elia%20Suleiman%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
Past winners of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
2016 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2015 Nico Rosberg (Mercedes-GP)
2014 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2013 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2012 Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus)
2011 Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2010 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2009 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
