Photo: One Love. Pictured: Kingsley Ben-Adir as “Bob Marley”.
nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.
Bob Marley: One Love star King- sley Ben-Adir asked ‘what would Bob think?’ while filming biopic By Rachael Davis, PA Entertainment Features Writer When Kingsley Ben-Adir signed on to play reggae legend Bob Marley for biopic One Love, he “didn’t know much at all” about the man behind the music. Despite his premature death from cancer at the age of 36, Marley is celebrated as a pioneer of reggae music, credited with increasing recognition of Jamaican music internationally, and continues to be a striking figure in popular culture – but many, like Ben-Adir, don’t know much about the man beyond the face plastered on T-shirts in Rastafari red, gold and green. As the 37-year-old actor, known for roles in Vera, Peaky Blinders and One Night in Miami…, says: “We just have an idea of him, we just have this image – he represents peace and love.” Telling the story of the man behind the music was the goal for One Love director and co-writer Reinaldo Marcus Green, whose biopic tells the tale of Marley from his youth in Jamaica to his untimely death.
“I only knew Bob Marley from the songs that I had heard as a kid, and the sort of mystical figure I see on the T-shirts and the buttons. It’s just like: ‘Who is that man? He’s like a superhero’.” Getting to the essence of Marley was therefore key for Ben- Adir’s performance.As the film tells the story of Marley’s life, from the ins and outs of his career to his political activism, his Rastafari beliefs to his relationships and family, the actor had to dive deep under his skin. Luckily, he had Marley’s nearest and dearest on hand to help. His widow, Rita Marley, and two of his children, Ziggy and Cedella Marley, have executive producer credits on the project, and gave hands-on advice to the stars.
“You read all the books but then you go – that’s only gonna get you so far,” says Ben-Adir.
“So the process involved Bob’s friends, Bob’s family, and a lot of help.”
“I can’t actually think of how there could have been any other way,” adds the actor, who says he spent time with Ziggy and received audio files of Bob talking from Cedella. “I auditioned, and I was with Ziggy a week or two after, so my process from the beginning was with them, and knowing that they were there every step of the way if I needed to ask something, I could just pick up the phone…
“I think that’s what people want to see, something real,” says the 42-year-old director, whose 2021 film King Richard was
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