John Boyega has spoken out for the first time about how the murder of his friend Damilola Taylor "shaped" his life.
The Star Wars actor and his sister Grace were among the last people to see Damilola, 10, before he was attacked in the street in south-east London on 27 November 2000. He later died in hospital.
Boyega, who was eight at the time, opened up for the first time about how his friend's death affected him on BBC Radio 4's Last Word.
"From the hours we left him in Peckham to the hours when I went home, and then the police was at our door and there was a whole investigation that we were involved in, (it) was definitely life changing for me, definitely altered my perspective," he shared.
"To think that somebody as young as me could pass away in such a horrific way was hard for me to understand or comprehend. And I definitely think Damilola's tragic murder has definitely shaped me through the years and just affected my perspective on certain things and it definitely affected the community too."
John, now 32, recalled that Damilola's father, Richard Taylor, read out a poem his son had written during the funeral. In the poem, Damilola wrote about his dreams and aspirations, and this made John start thinking about his own goals.
"After reading that poem, I was just like, yeah, I have no excuse. I want to be a movie star," he remembered. "And not just because I want to be (one) but because someone else like Damilola Taylor, in my environment too, dreamed to be more. And I think that's worth it. And it definitely has impacted me till today."
John explained that he felt "motivated to speak up" about Damilola for the first time following the death of Richard on 23 March. Damilola's mother Gloria died in 2008.
Imagining who Damilola would have been today, the Attack the Block star said he would a "funny" and "handsome young man with great opportunities and great morals".
John's full interview airs on Friday afternoon.
