John Boyega Cuts Ties With Perfume Brand Jo Malone After Commercial Controversy

U.K. perfume brand Jo Malone is issuing an apology to actor John Boyega.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the “Star Wars” actor had been named the company’s global ambassador last year.

As part of the gig, Boyega appeared in a personal video for the brand, dubbed “A London Gent”, which he also conceived and directed.

However, controversy ensued when it was discovered the brand reshot Boyega’s video for the Chinese market, replacing him with Chinese actor Liu Haoran.

As a result, not only was Boyega cut out of his own video, the new version then featured a complete absence of Black people.

Meanwhile, THR reports that Boyega “wasn’t made aware of the new commercial’s production, and only found out after it was put on Twitter.”

In the face of backlash, Jo Malone is apologizing to Boyega.

“We deeply apologize for what, on our end, was a mistake in the local execution of the John Boyega campaign,” Jo Malone London said in a statement sent to THR. “John is a tremendous artist with great personal vision and direction. The concept for the film was based on John’s personal experiences and should not have been replicated.”

In addition, the company also apologized to Haoran, who was not involved in the “concepting” of the campaign.

“While we immediately took action and removed the local version of the campaign, we recognize that this was painful and that offense was caused,” it 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.”

Boyega took to Twitter on Monday, announcing he was cutting ties with the brand.

“I have decided to step down as Jo Malone’s global ambassador,” Boyega wrote, in a series of posts. “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.”

“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,” he continued. “The film celebrated my personal story– showcasing my hometown, including my friends and featuring my family.”

Boyega explained that he understands many brands “use a variety of global and local ambassadors” in their targeted advertising, but added, “Dismissively trading out one’s culture this way is not something I can condone.”