John Boyega has spoken about being “directly affected” by the killing of his 10-year-old childhood friend Damilola Taylor, revealing that he, too, came close to becoming a victim of violence while growing up.
The Star Wars actor recalled Damilola’s brief life and the tragedy that ended it in November 2000, when the schoolboy was fatally stabbed just yards from his home in Peckham, south-east London.
Boyega was among the last people to see Damilola alive. His death became a defining moment in the national debate over knife crime and youth violence in Britain.
The pair became friends at Oliver Goldsmith Primary School after Damilola moved to London from Nigeria several months before his death. Both boys came from Yoruba families.
Damilola dreamed of working in the medical profession. Instead, while walking home from the library, he was attacked by two boys aged 12 and 13. He was found bleeding to death in a stairwell after being stabbed in the leg with a broken beer bottle.
Boyega, who was eight when Damilola died, reflected on his friend at a Bafta event in London held ahead of the BBC Two documentary Damilola: The Untold Story.
Speaking alongside his sister Grace Boyega, who also knew Damilola and was 10 at the time, the actor described the atmosphere surrounding youth violence in their area during that period.
Boyega said he had been “directly impacted and affected” by Damilola’s killing, as well as by other incidents in the area. “I came close to it myself a good few times,” he told the audience.
John Boyega during a Q&A event for the new Damilola Taylor documentary at Bafta in London
Damilola Taylor was fatally stabbed just yards from his home in Peckham, south-east London
Damilola in a lift with John and Grace Boyega (blurred) in CCTV footage shortly before he died
(From left) Grace Boyega, Damilola’s brother Tunde Taylor, John Boyega, director Alex Thomas, BBC presenter Tina Daheley and former Metropolitan Police superintendent Dr Leroy Logan
“Grace came close to it herself. We grew up in a really interesting time,” Boyega said. “I just wanted people to see the journey and to see several different paths that such an event can lead to.”
He said the fear had stayed with him, explaining: “It was a consistent thing in my mind. I’m going to be on Rye Lane, near the Peckham multiplex, opposite the McDonald’s, and someone’s going to come and do that to me.”
Boyega also reflected on how young he was when Damilola was killed. “It’s been a short life but a long life for me because of the extremes of my experiences so far, both good and bad,” he said.
“Whether they’ve been incredibly low or incredibly high, it is a lot and it gives you a very big perspective on life.”
The actor added: “You’ve lived several different lives, even now at 34. It still feels like I’ve lived longer than that just because of what you’ve been exposed to and the experiences that you’ve been inspired by, all the experiences that have affected me in a negative way.”
“But all in all, it was good to watch this and remember that despite that, there was growth, which motivated me to take part in something that was a positive thing.”
Boyega said working on the documentary had also reminded him of the importance of returning to his roots. “It’s always good to come back home, remember who you are, what grounds you and what the motivating factor for you to go to do what you did was in the first place,” he said.
Boyega, who lived on the same estate as Damilola, also paid tribute to the people of Peckham who worked to improve their community. “As much as there was that negativity there, I cannot help but highlight the people who got their bootstraps together and said, ‘I’m going to do what I can,’” he said.
‘Regardless of where you go, remember your origin stories, because it will guide you through anywhere really.’
Speaking about why he chose to talk about Damilola’s stabbing for the first time in the documentary Boyega said: ‘I guess I was pretty much inspired by the team that was put together and the intention behind it.
‘I know previously there had been several different documentaries about Damilola, all of which I watched, but I guess it just felt like the right time to talk about the origin story of not only this case, but a lot of people that were surrounding in that area.
The panellists talk about Damilola Taylor during the event at Bafta in London on September 16
John Boyega was one of the last people who saw Damilola alive before the killing in 2000
Boyega became friends with Damilola at Oliver Goldsmith Primary School in Peckham
‘I think it was important for people to see what had happened and the effects of that situation, and it was packaged together really, really well.
‘I believe in the intention, I think this is quite a positive film, as well as it being informative, and I just wanted to support something that I felt like long-term would have a positive impact.’
Sitting alongside him, Grace added: ‘It’s hard because you have to unlock stuff that you’ve kept closed for so many years. Just having to relive that whole experience has been a lot, but again like John said there is hope.
‘There has been hope, especially with this documentary it shows that there is hope. Life is a choice – you can decide to go this way or go that way.’
Joining Boyega and Grace on the panel were Damilola’s brother Tunde Taylor, the documentary’s director Alex Thomas and BBC presenter Tina Daheley.
Also present was former Metropolitan Police superintendent Dr Leroy Logan, who was once chair of the Black Police Association and investigated Damilola’s killing.
The programme will explore the final hours of Damilola’s life and the impact his death had on those who knew him – including Boyega, who speaks with Grace and his other friends about the culture of Peckham in 2000 and their fears after the boy’s death.
Boyega first spoke publicly about Damilola in 2024, saying he was motivated to do so following the death of the boy’s father Richard Taylor aged 75 with prostate cancer.
The former Nigerian civil servant dedicated years to helping disadvantaged children in the wake of his son’s death, and set up a charity to campaign against knife crime.
Mr Taylor established the Damilola Taylor Trust with his wife Gloria and continued its work after she died in 2008 following a heart attack. The charity is now run by Tunde.
Damilola’s two killers, brothers Ricky (left) and Danny Preddie, were jailed for manslaughter
Damilola was found bleeding to death in a stairwell in Peckham after being stabbed in the leg
Damilola’s funeral cortege travels towards All Saints Church in Plumstead in January 2001
Other close friends and family members will also appear in the documentary with an account of the events that led to the death and how the killing affected their lives.
The film retraces Damilola’s final day and examines the environment shaping the lives of those around him, as well as the increase in knife-related crimes since his death.
It will revisit the investigation, from the collapse of the original prosecution to the discovery of microscopic forensic evidence that eventually led to two convictions.
After three crown court trials, Damilola’s two killers, Ricky and Danny Preddie, were finally put behind bars after being found guilty of manslaughter in 2006.
The brothers were both jailed for eight years at the Old Bailey. Ricky was released in September 2010 and Danny was let out one year later.
Mr Thomas said: ‘Damilola’s story has never been told through the experience of the young people who were living it at the time.
‘This film shows what it meant to grow up in an environment shaped by fear, bullying and the need to protect yourself — and how those pressures influenced the choices people made.
‘Twenty-five years on, those experiences still stay with them, and many of those pressures still exist for young people today.’
Jack Bootle, the BBC’s head of commissioning for specialist factual, added: ‘The killing of Damilola Taylor shocked the UK and changed the lives of those closest to him forever.
‘This film traces their stories – and honours Damilola’s memory through the voices of those who knew him best.’
‘Damilola: The Untold Story’ will air on BBC Two and iPlayer on October 5 at 9pm
