Summary

  • The movie "Bob Marley: One Love" explores the life of the reggae legend during the height of his fame, highlighting his efforts to spread messages of peace and unity despite intense pushback.
  • Kingsley Ben-Adir, who plays Bob Marley in the film, felt the responsibility of portraying such an iconic figure and tried to capture his spirit and struggles by spending time with his family and friends.
  • The movie aims to give viewers a personal understanding of Bob Marley and hopes to reveal the message behind his music and his legacy of peace, love, and unity.

A music legend is finally having his story told in Bob Marley: One Love. The biographical drama explores the life of the titular reggae singer, being set primarily during the height of his fame in the mid-70s as his efforts to spread messages of peace and unity were met with intense pushback, including an assassination attempt.

BAFTA nominee Kingsley Ben-Adir is leading the ensemble Bob Marley: One Love cast as the late eponymous musician alongside Lashana Lynch as his wife Rita, James Norton, Daniel Melville Jr., Sevana, Hector Lewis, Tosin Cole, and Michael Gandolfini. The movie hails from co-writer/director Reinaldo Marcus Green, fresh off of his critical success with the Williams sister biopic King Richard, reteaming him with the scribe of his prior movie, Zach Baylin, as well as The Sopranos creator Terence Winter and Shooting Stars' Frank E. Flowers.

Kingsley Ben-Adir as Bob Marley from Bob Marley One Love
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Where To Watch Bob Marley One Love

The true story of Bob Marley's life is the focus of a new movie, and here is where to watch Bob Marley: One Love with showtimes or on streaming.

In honor of the late musician's birthday, Screen Rant attended the Bob Marley: One Love red carpet event and interviewed stars Kingsley Ben-Adir, Sundra Oakley, Aston Barett Jr., James Norton, and Nia Ashi, as well as co-writer/director Reinaldo Marcus Green and producer Ziggy Marley. The group discussed Marley's long-lasting legacy, the messages behind the movie, and the search for the perfect lead star.

The Bob Marley: One Love Cast, Crew & Family Discuss The Biopic On The Red Carpet

Kingsley Ben-Adir

Screen Rant: Happy Birthday, Bob Marley. What a perfect day for this premiere. So, talk about following playing Malcolm X to now playing a legend with so much responsibility to deliver. Did that hit you, and did you feel that responsibility? What was that moment that you felt that responsibility?

Kingsley Ben-Adir: It was always there, and it hits you in different moments where you can't turn the volume down on it a little bit. Bob's a legend, and how much he means to so many people, and once you know that — which I knew before, it's [important to] turn the volume down. It's about trying to find a little bit of his spirit, just a little bit of his spirit, and the struggles that he went through. And the human side of him, that required spending time with his family, and his friends, and people who loved him, and who remember him with loving awe. So, I learned about Bob through them in that way.

Especially because Ziggy is a producer on it.

Kingsley Ben-Adir: Yeah, Ziggy, Stephen, and Rohan — everyone I spoke to everyone.

So, between the physicality and emotional nature of the character, what were the biggest hurdles that you faced with playing Bob Marley?

Kingsley Ben-Adir: Patois, and music, starting from scratch, and dancing. All of it. It's all a challenge, but it was all a wonderful challenge.

What do you hope people discover about Bob Marley?

Kingsley Ben-Adir: They just get a feeling like they have a bit more personal understanding of what he was going through.

Source: Screen Rant Plus

Ziggly Marley

Screen Rant: In terms of casting the actor to play your father, what made Kingsley Ben-Adir the one? How did he win you over?

Ziggy Marley: We chose Kingsley because he had our attention, he kept us engaged in what he was doing.

You've been trying to get a movie made about your father for so long. How did working with an executive producer like Brad Pitt finally make that happen?

Ziggy Marley: I haven't been for so long, other people have been, and that's the difference with this movie is that it's our family who initiated this, not someone else. Working with Plan B, which is Brad Pitt's company, Brad is an executive producer, he was like a silent partner, really. It was two of his other team members, Jeremy Kleiner and Dede Gardner who were with us most of the time. The expertise they brought to it really helped made the film into what it is.

There are so many people like me who grew up with this music, and then there are younger music fans who might not be as familiar with the music. What do you help people discover about your father's legacy and his music from this movie?

Ziggy Marley: We are welcoming them to the inside of his world. You're not a fan anymore on the outside. You're now in his world, experiencing everything that Bob experienced. You're a crew member, you're a friend, you're hanging out in the room. So, that's what we wanted to do. Whatever they discover from that, let them discover it.

If your father was able to see the movie, what would he have thought?

Ziggy Marley: There's a good message with it. The message is strong, it's not just a movie about him, it's a movie about a message.

Source: Screen Rant Plus

Zuri Marley

Screen Rant: How excited are you, Zuri, to be here at the premiere of Bob Marley: One Love on what would have been Bob Marley's 79th birthday?

Zuri Marley: I think we're bringing Jamaica to Hollywood right now. Bob made it to Hollywood. We're in a movie, our family has a movie, it's amazing. I think all my grandfather wanted was to spread his message, which is a message of peace, love, unity for everyone, so bringing it here to the red carpet is great.

Your father produced the movie. What took so long for this movie to finally get made?

Zuri Marley: It has to be right. It's a precious story and a very important story, so I think my dad had the perfect timing, and I think it's done so well.

What do you hope people discover about your grandfather from this?

Zuri Marley: I hope people discover the message behind the music and the lore. I also hope people discover the vulnerable side of him, and also a different side of Jamaica. You're gonna see the amazing mountains of Jamaica, and all these different things that we have, so I think that's what I'm hoping for.

In terms of casting Kingsley Ben-Adir, what was it about him that made your family go, "This is our Bob"?

Zuri Marley: Well, my dad's on the way, so you can ask him, but for me, I think Kingsley's just so talented, and he's so committed. And the same for Lashana Lynch. She did a beautiful job as my grandma — I mean, stunning. So, I think it's really the commitment and the ability to just dive in to this type of subject matter.

There's a whole generation of younger music fans who might not be familiar with Bob Marley and his music. Why do you think your grandfather's music still holds up?

Zuri Marley: Because it has a message, that's why. He's saying something, so I think that's why people resonate with it so much, and obviously, it just feels good.

Source: Screen Rant Plus

Aston Barrett Jr.

Screen Rant: So, what is it about this movie that you hope people discover something about Bob Marley? Especially people who aren't that familiar with his legacy and with his music?

Aston Barrett Jr.: The music is music that's gonna lift people up. So, I know you're gonna see the truth, and what it really represents. It's not just the peace, love and unity that's the most important part, but the movie is going to show you the struggles that they went through. When you see the struggles, you understand. When you go through struggles, you either could do good or bad, and Bob Marley & the Wailers chose to do good. So, that's why it lives on today.

You're playing your father in the movie while in The Wailers. How cool is that?

Aston Barrett Jr.: They're chosen for a mission, and my father chose me to do this mission, and it's love.

Kingsley Ben-Adir, what makes him a perfect Bob Marley?

Aston Barrett Jr.: Bob Marley chose him from the heavens when we started to do the rehearsals. And when were doing the rehearsal, I said, "Yeah, alright man, he can do it." When he was starting to go on camera, I was blown away. I even got spoiled, because after the movie, I went back to The Wailers, and I'm like, "You guys need to step up." [Laughs] Because we weren't just acting to be acting like them, we had to be them. So, we had to embody that, and when you embody that, you feel the spirit from all of them. So, whoever is spiritual, or a little spiritual, this movie made them more spiritual.

For Ziggy and Cedella, especially Ziggy, how important was it for him to get this movie right? To honor his father, to cast the perfect Bob?

Aston Barett Jr.: Ziggy and his mother and his father are in this movie, because the father is what makes up everything, you know, feminine and masculine. It shows you the ups and downs, and the unity that they had to create what they made. So, Ziggy is a very important part of this project, and he really looked through it and made sure every detail was good. Even if I read the script, he'd come to me, and he'd say, "Would Fam say that?" I said, "Well, he would say something like that." He said, "How would Fam say it?" And he allowed me to be my father how he truly is.

Source: Screen Rant Plus

James Norton

Screen Rant: This movie covers a particular period of Bob Marley's life. Why was this the period you went with in the film?

James Norton: I wish I had a pay grade high enough to tell you where the development ended up in this particular period. I think the film captures how interesting this period was. Obviously, it was the moment he arrived in London post the assassination attempt at the One Love concert in Jamaica. It was a huge moment, I think a lot of people assume that Bob Marley had this very happy-go-lucky, easy life, sitting in Jamaica on a beach, and that all of the messages and the music came to him magically.

And actually, it did, but it was tough, you had to fight, and it was a battle, and it took compromise and sacrifice. And it makes his message all the more powerful when you know that, you know, the fight he went on. So, for me, it's an important piece of context for Bob and his message when you see this particular period, and how hard it was.

What made Kingsley Ben-Adir the Bob?

James Norton: Again, I wish I'd been there at the casting process when they decided on Kingsley, but they brilliantly found something, some essence of Bob. It was the family, obviously got the sign off, Ziggy has always said, "That's our guy." So, for them to have to cost someone to play their dad, the legend that is Bob Marley, and put that trust in him — the guy has proven himself, from my point of view. Seeing him on set, I've never seen an actor work harder.

He worked so hard, he put the time and the effort into the music, the movement, the act of learning how to speak. That's not an accent, that's a language, he was able to riff as Kingsley, and seamlessly start speaking as Bob in patois, and then go back to Kingley on set, it was astounding. It was a privilege to be sitting there, getting a front row seat to his craft and his commitment.

Source: Screen Rant Plus

Nia Ashi

Screen Rant: How excited are you to have this movie premiere on Bob Marley's birthday?

Nia Ashi: It's just like you said, it is perfect. It's the right way, this film feels like a celebration, so it's the best way to celebrate.

What do you hope people discover about Bob Marley and his music and his legacy from watching One Love?

Nia Ashi: I hope they discover the wholeness of him as a person, rather than just his music. What he was like at home with his friends, with his band, his family members. I think it brings a good fuller picture, a more complex and detailed picture, and how driven he was to support a community and back a cause. I think that's really needed in the world right now.

How about working with Ziggy and Cedella? They're Bob's kids, so they've got a lot riding on this to get it just right.

Nia Ashi: It was a privilege to work with them, and it was really nice, because they're so open. So, it did feel like we were able to get access into Bob's lives, and for me, Rita's life, as well. I would say it was stellar to ask those questions about her mom. And Ziggy has the most warm presence, and it's just a lovely calm. I felt very safe, and I felt like I was able to explore whilst having the support of, "Actually, this is how she is." So, it felt very collaborative with the family president.

What do you think makes Kingsley Ben-Adir the perfect Bob Marley?

Nia Ashi: Oh, gosh, that's so many things. His attention to detail, firstly, his dedication and commitment. Also, his range. His craft needs to be studied, like, being on set with him is honestly truly a masterclass. I can just fawn over him all day. There's not one specific thing, but just him as a whole.

What did you discover about Bob Marley making this movie?

Nia Ashi: How sensitive he is. I feel like we are all sensitive beings, but when you're so publicly acclaimed and known, I think we kind of remove the humans from that image that we see. So, I learned a bit more about the human and the sensitive side of him.

Source: Screen Rant Plus

Sundra Oakley

Screen Rant: Happy Birthday, Bob, it doesn't get any better than this!

Sundra Oakley: What a great way to celebrate on his birthday, it couldn't have been more perfect.

What do you hope people discover about Bob who already know his music, but also people who don't?

Sundra Oakley: Well, the good thing about Bob is I always say this, you could go to Europe or Mongolia and say, "Jamaica," and more than likely, they will say, "Bob Marley!", more than anything. He's transcended decades, and I think he has done that because his message was pure. And when something is pure, it's undeniable, it's everlasting.

You can't whittle it away, you can't deny it. I think people are going to walk away thinking this is a man that really cared. I had the fortunate honor of playing his lawyer, Diane Jobson, and she was his lawyer and confidant, and she was able to tell me stories about Bob that just literally had my jaw on the ground.

What surprised you?

Sundra Oakley: How much Bob did without telling other people, and how much people don't know how much he supported people in his community. I think people know a little bit, but hearing her stories of the things that he did, that we would just take for granted. Of course, it's not the social media age, so nothing can be advertised and publicized, but he did so much that nobody a lot of people do not know about, and I love that.

Kingsley Ben-Adir, what made him the Bob?

Sundra Oakley: I tip my hat to that man. Seriously, oh my god, I saw the work that he did. You could tell how much he cared, and I just respected that more than I can ever describe. He did a phenomenal job as a Jamaican. All I can do is applaud. He gave everything, I just can't wait for people to see and see what he put into it.

Source: Screen Rant Plus

Reinaldo Marcus Green

Screen Rant: To follow King Richard with Bob Marley, that is a very big cast, a very big responsibility. What makes Kingsley Ben-Adir the perfect Bob?

Reinaldo Marcus Green: He just brings it, man. He brings that work ethic, just a relentless work ethic, and a talent and intelligence, charisma, presence. He's really special.

Tell me about working with Ziggy and working with Brad Pitt at Plan B.

Reinaldo Marcus Green: I mean, Ziggy was amazing. He was on set every day. I'm there at five, he's there at five, and it goes to show that work ethic that Bob had, that relentless — it's like a football player. He just had that it, was amazing. Brad Pitt and Plan B, just being a part of their artistic integrity of what they bring to their films, their movie slate, they made our film so much better. Having real producers is an incredible achievement.

In terms of just this particular point of his life, why was this the most important to show?

Reinaldo Marcus Green: It's a celebration of Bob's life, and this was a rich period of time of musical creation and musical genius. 1976-1978, there was an outpouring of music, I mean, Exodus, Kaya, it was an incredible time for him.

Source: Screen Rant Plus

About Bob Marley: One Love

BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE celebrates the life and music of an icon who inspired generations through his message of love and unity. On the big screen for the first time, discover Bob’s powerful story of overcoming adversity and the journey behind his revolutionary music. Produced in partnership with the Marley family and starring Kingsley Ben-Adir as the legendary musician and Lashana Lynch as his wife Rita.

Check out our other Bob Marley: One Love interviews below:

Bob Marley: One Love hits theaters on February 14.