J.J. Abrams ''freaks out'' when he sees iconic 'Star Wars' characters on the set of his movie.

Actor John Boyega has enjoyed working with the director on the forthcoming sci-fi instalment 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' because the filmmaker gets so excited about his work.

John said: ''Working on the 'Star Wars' set he created a unique environment. It was always very vibrant.

''I call JJ a nerd rock star. He's a young guy in his soul. You should see him freak out when he sees Chewbacca in full costume.

''To me, he's a film fan making his favourite films. A student of film who is making movies with a lot of money.''

And John - who plays Finn in the upcoming film - believes the director has done the well-loved franchise justice with his new movie.

He told GQ magazine: ''He will carry on the legacy of Spielberg and Lucas. He has a great understanding of the technical side of it, as well as the artistic side, which is really unusual.

''He makes the director of photography happy as well as the actor - a lot of directors are just obsessed with spectacle, or getting the actors on point.''