British fragrance company Jo Malone has apologized to actor John Boyega after re-creating his original ad without his presence for Chinese audiences.
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In a statement issued to The Hollywood Reporter, Jo Malone London detailed the new ad has been removed. The modified version 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,” the apology reads.
“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.”
The original commercial, titled London Gent, was created by the Star Wars actor and featured not only himself but also his real-life family and friends in London streets.
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Unfortunately, this is not Boyega’s first time being cut out of an ad in China. THR reports during the Star Wars The Force Awakens promotional season, posters in the Asian country reduced the size of the British-bred actor’s character. Other BIPOC actors were cut out entirely.
This remains true for the re-shot London Malone commercial. Boyega was not the only thing missing from the Chinese ad. In fact, no Black people appear in the short at all.
Jo Malone London also apologized to Haoran according to THR and assures Haoran had zero involvement in the “concepting” of the campaign. The brand hopes to continue on with successful campaigns and work to avoid these mistakes in the future.
“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.”
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