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John Boyega said the original ad “celebrated my personal story.”
John Boyega resigned as a global ambassador for the Jo Malone perfume brand after a Chinese actor replaced him in an advertisement he made for them.
The Star Wars actor made the personal video in his hometown of London, but it was re-filmed for the Chinese market.
The company apologized for what it described as a “misstep” that caused “offense.”
However, Boyega has said that Jo Malone was “wrong” to have used another actor “without my consent or prior notice.”
Writing on Twitter, the British star said that while accepting that companies would use different representatives around the world, “disparagingly changing one’s culture in this way is not something that I can approve of.”
“The film celebrated my personal story, showing my hometown, including my friends and introducing my family,” he added.
“It’s back to back, but I assure you this will be resolved quickly. I have no time for nonsense. We are moving forward and strong. Stay blessed.”
The recreated ad largely followed the same script, but featured Chinese star Liu Haoran in place of Boyega.
The original version, titled London Gent, showed Boyega hanging out with friends and family in Peckham, where he grew up. They were also removed for the Chinese public.
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Jo Malone, owned by Estee Lauder, has removed the ad from its campaign in China.
“We deeply apologize for what, on our part, was a mistake in the local execution of John Boyega’s campaign,” they said in a statement Monday.
Grace, Boyega’s sister, posted the Chinese version of the ad in a reply from Twitter.
‘Taking this misstep very seriously’
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Jo Malone London said: “John is a tremendous artist with great personal vision and direction. The concept of 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 recognize that this was painful and that an offense was caused,” he added.
“We respect John and support our partners and fans around the world. We are taking this misstep very seriously and are working together as a brand to better advance.”
‘Pushed aside’
It is not the first time that Boyega has made a mistake when editing for the Chinese market.
There was controversy in 2016 when Disney released a re-versioned movie poster for Star Wars: The Force Awakens in China.
Boyega’s new main character Finn has been reduced in size, compared to the original poster.
Earlier this month, the star called for an end to film companies “pushing aside” black actors.
Writers, actors and directors, including JK Rowling and Jordan Peele, also praised the 28-year-old for his emotional speech at a Black Lives Matter protest in the summer.
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