Will Smith sat down with The Daily Show host Trevor Noah last night to talk about playing the real-life Nigerian surgeon Dr Bennet Omalu in the upcoming NFL medical drama biopic Concussion.
Out in theaters on Christmas day, the movie dramatizes the aftermath of Omalu’s 2002 discovery of a link between repetitive head trauma and the NFL—a progressive degenerative disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)—and his pursuit to tell the truth despite pressure to stay quiet.
“For me trying to make a transformation into a Nigerian immigrant, that was a long way for me,” Smith told Noah. For the South African comedian, seeing the action star play a Nigerian was a dream come true. “I love Will Smith. I love Africa. Will Smith as an African. Are you kidding me?” Noah said.
We were glad to see Smith own up to the criticism over his accent. According to the actor, he worked with the real-life Bennet Omalu and a dialect coach. He also saw a Nigerian comedian, who had a new take on Smith’s accent for all the “haters” out there.
Watch Will Smith’s Daily Show appearance below.
