John Boyega has revealed he was 'directly affected' by the killing of his ten-year-old childhood friend Damilola Taylor, saying he also 'came close' to violence as a boy.

The Star Wars actor has reflected on the short life of Damilola before he was fatally stabbed yards from his home in Peckham, south-east London, in November 2000.

Boyega was one of the last people who saw Damilola alive before the killing, which became a crucial moment in sparking a national conversation around knife crime.

They became friends at Oliver Goldsmith Primary School after Damilola moved from Nigeria a few months before his death, with both boys' families of Yoruba descent.

Damilola had ambitions for a future in the medical profession, but he was killed by two boys aged 12 and 13 while on his way home from the library. He was found bleeding to death in a stairwell after being stabbed in the leg with a broken beer bottle.

Boyega, who was eight at the time, talked about his friend during an event at Bafta in London ahead of the upcoming BBC Two documentary 'Damilola: The Untold Story'.

Speaking alongside his sister Grace Boyega, who also knew Damilola and was ten at the time, the actor told the audience about youth violence in the area at the time.

Boyega said he was 'directly impacted and affected' by Damilola's killing as well as incidents involving others, adding: 'I came close to it myself a good few times.

'Grace came close to it herself, we grew up in a really interesting time. So, I just wanted people to see the journey and to see several different paths that such an event can lead to.'

He continued: '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 discussed how young he was at the time of Damilola's death, adding: '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, they have been extremes. 

'Whether they've been incredibly low or incredibly high... it is a lot and it gives you a very big perspective on life.

'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.'

He said the documentary had helped him with remembering that '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'.

Boyega - who lived on the same estate as Damilola - added: 'Peckham, 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".

'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.

'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.

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