adichie-will-smith-phone-conversation

Chimamanda Adichie has been featured on Beyonce’s track. She’s headlined a British Vogue fashion project. She’s had two of her novels optioned for the big screen. This weekend, she will deliver the commencement speech at Wellesley college. [click HERE if you missed it.]

Just when we thought the best selling Nigerian author could not get any more” big-time,” we come across this bit about a phone conversation with the American movie star, Will Smith.

She spoke about chatting with Will Smith in the now famous Olisa.tv interview—her most revealing interview yet.

During the interview, she said a good bit about her struggle with depression, the quarrel with Guardian UK, and the rather unhappy ending of her friendship with Nigerian blogger, Elnathan John.

At some point, Will Smith came up in the conversation.

Here is what she has to say:

Some years ago his people called and said he wanted to set up a call. So we had a nice chat. He said he just wanted to let me know that he had been following my writing and my speaking and loved what I was doing and wanted to encourage me. He spoke in specifics. It meant a lot to me because it wasn’t just an empty ‘well done!’ but there was a kind of thoughtfulness that I really appreciated. And of course I made sure I told him how much I loved Fresh Prince of Bel Air when I was growing up in Nsukka. I love his humour and I loved his remarkable transformation in the movie Ali.

 

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Image British Vogue and Hollywood Reporter