Award-winning novelist and feminism advocate, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, has recounted how her husband, Ivara Esege was made to play an extra in a Star Wars film.
She spoke in a tell-all Blackbox interview with Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, revealing that her husband got the role when they met with the film’s director at an Oscars party. She added that the scene was later axed.
“My husband loves Star Wars. He’s been a fan.” Chimamanda revealed. “One day we were at an Oscars party and we were seated with J.J. Abrams, the director. So he says to me, ‘My wife loves your work, my kids love your work’.”
She continued: “I agreed to take a picture with him but told him, ‘My husband really liked Star Wars. So what can we do about that?’ I was joking, but my husband starts talking about it, and J.J. is getting really excited.
“He asked me if he’d like to be an extra in a text later on since he was to shoot in London a few months from that time. A few weeks later, he goes to the set. He was supposed to be one of those people who wear this metal thing.
“They measured him; he wore it. His role was to come on set and look surprised. I asked J.J. how he did later and he said, the first time they told my husband to look surprised, the man ran out and was like ‘Hei!’ (hands on head).
“The Nigerian in him came out. I’m sure JJ was like, ‘we’d like you to be a bit less African’. They did a few takes before he got a ride. We weren’t supposed to tell anyone until the film comes out. But the scene was later cut.
“He was fine with it. For him, it was nice to see the behind-scenes. We went and saw one scene with John Boyega.”