The bestselling author of “Children of Blood and Bone” posted a cryptic video Wednesday slamming the on-set conditions of her novel’s film adaptation.
Author Tomi Adeyemi posted a five-minute, 40-second TikTok emotionally discussing her miserable time during filming.
She said: “What I’m about to share is not a secret to the people involved. It’s a reality that I’ve had to live with for about a year and a half, and everyone involved, at least at the highest level, has been made aware of this reality, and they haven’t done anything to make it better.
“If anything, they’ve only antagonized me, and I accept that, but I also accept if I don’t say something, I think it’s just going to be worse.”
Adeyemi appears to choose her words carefully throughout the video, takes long pauses, and doesn’t name anyone specifically. She called out lead actress Amandla Stenberg in a since-deleted TikTok last Saturday.
“I’m not gonna speak on what I endured to make it through the young adult trilogy, and I’m not going to speak about everything that I also suffered through to make the adaptation a reality.
“I’m actually only going to speak about what happened after I left that set of my own film adaptation, hyperventilating and sobbing, and there are many witnesses, so it’s not really a secret,” she continued.
Adeyemi’s book is about a fantasy African kingdom where a young woman embarks on a quest to reclaim the magic violently stolen from her people. The character and her brother create an alliance with the king’s daughter and son to fight back against his brutal rule.
The author said she suffered “such severe somatic pain and so many panic attacks” as she returned from an overseas filming location and knew she would not be able to watch the movie.
“But as it is being marketed, and as I am still being antagonized behind the scenes, which is where I hoped all of this would stay, it’s become apparent to me that reality needs to at least be made known,” she said, “so that you guys can understand how this film — which I worked on to make it a little better for us to be alive — is also the worst thing I have ever had to live through, and I don’t wish to speak on it anymore.”
The author appears to slam the movie’s director Gina Prince-Bythewood, saying, “I don’t have anything to say about the people who made it.
“I do not care anymore. I’m trying to move on. This video might make it worse, but I don’t know how it can be any worse.”
Adeyemi wrote the screenplay for the movie with Prince-Bythewood, but it’s unclear if there have been creative changes.
Commenters on the video appeared frustrated with the author’s lack of transparency.
“Tomi, we don’t know what happened between you, Paramount, the director, or the actors. But if you want our support, be clear with us. Either open up fully about what’s going on, or don’t say anything at all,” one wrote.
Adeyemi called out Stenberg for unclear reasons in the video, posting a screenshot of the author texting her: “Do not ever use my name in an interview or video again. Do not text me. Do not call me.”
She then blocked Stenberg as a contact.
Stenberg had hoped to reconnect with the author, writing before the hostile text: “My only hope was to reconnect as human beings.”
Another part of the video explains that she wants her fans to support her by buying the book and that she will not be watching the film adaptation.
“There is a reason I will not post anything about the adaptation of my work. That’s all,” the New York Times bestselling author wrote in a separate Instagram DM, which she screenshotted and included in the video.
A second message read, “From this point on, if you want to support me, you can purchase any edition of the trilogy at a local independent children’s book store (books of wonder, NYC).”
In more screenshots of Instagram DMs, the writer said she has not seen the film and “will not watch it.”
“It’s been painful holding this back from you all… And I’m sorry if any of you thought I didn’t care about US. More than any glitter.”
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