Multiple-award winning actor-Will Smith is playing a Nigerian on the big screen—in his new movie-Concussion, which hits the cinema this December. And the controversy is about the ACCENT…
In Concussion, Will Smith stars as Dr Bennet Omalu, the real-life Nigerian-born forensic pathologist and neuropathologist who uncovered a connection between brain trauma and the NFL in 2002 after performing an autopsy on former professional football player Mike Webster.
The movie is based on a true story—but for many, the accent is far from anything we know as Nigerian.
Of course you do not expect Will Smith to sound like Tunde from Lagos, but we expected a resemblance—at least, and for the many who have seen the trailer, Smith fails to deliver on the accent.
On social media, Nigerian satirist Elnathan tweeted “Hollywood created an accent for ‘Africans’ which they use whether the person is Liberian, Nigerian or Rwandan. Will Smith learnt it well.”
Couldn’t this have been a big Hollywood opportunity for a true Nigerian actor like Ramsey Noah? We don’t want to mention Jim Iyke, because that dude forces himself to sound more American than Smith.
Will Smith is a world class actor but it’s obvious he failed with the Nigerian accent—perhaps, that’s too deep for him. And he hasn’t really been hanging out with a lot of Nigerians that is why he is probably convinced that he has delivered on his mission.
To be release this coming Christmas, Concussion is a biopic– directed by Peter Landesman (Parkland, 2013)– and also star Nigerian-British actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje in the role of former Chicago Bear player Dave Duerson– who in 2011 committed suicide at the age of 50 by shooting himself in the chest so that his brain could be left to researchers studying head injuries among football players (Boston University’s Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy found that Duerson’s brain did in fact have the chronic traumatic encephalopathy that he suspected).
Now, check out the trailer below…
Whatever…its will smith….the funny thing here is those Nigerian actors you’ve mentioned are trying to sound yankee English…with their fake accent so pls it all comes to the same….but hey Will smith you go man…our own folks are faking accent sef…gives us mind make we think jor
The truth is they will not trust a Nigerian actor with such a major role in Hollywood after pumping so much finances into the movie. They would rather attempt to train someone they trust hence will smith.
Will Smith is just speaking like the many American actors who take up African roles. they all speak with same accent but the Nigerian accent is very deep and this is no where near that even though I think i’tll be a gr8 movie. In my own opinion, Iddris Elba just may have nailed it. He did quite good with the Mandela accent.
This is a mess for Will Smith. I won’t be watching it for this poor accent
Ramsey what?…. mtcheeew.. Osuofia is da best Candidate but in his dreams.