Perfume company apologises for cutting John Boyega out of advert

The ‘Star Wars’ actor was replaced by a Chinese actor in a local edit

Perfume brand Jo Malone London has apologised for removing John Boyega from an advert in China.

The Star Wars actor was named the company’s first male global ambassador last year and had conceived and directed a personal video, called London Gent, in Peckham to advertise aftershave for the brand.

However, the Chinese version of the advert was re-shot with local actor Liu Haoran, while Boyega’s friends and family that featured in the original were also removed.

The company have since issued a statement on what they described as “a mistake in the local execution of the John Boyega campaign”, saying they “deeply apologise”.

“John is a tremendous artist with great personal vision and direction,” Jo Malone London said (via The Hollywood Reporter). “The concept for the film was based on John’s personal experiences and should not have been replicated.”