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In the musical biopic Bob Marley: One Love, Kingsley Ben-Adir plays the role of Bob Marley. It explores the life and legacy of the Jamaican-born pioneer of reggae music, who was 36 years old when he died from cancer in 1981.
Paramount, after its year-long search all around the globe, chose to cast the British actor Kingsley Ben-Adir in the lead role. The actor's performances in 2020's One Night in Miami as Malcolm X and the widely acclaimed TV series Peaky Blinders landed him the part.
Written by Terence Winter, Frank E. Flowers, and Zach Baylin and directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, the biopic Bob Marley: One Love will be released on February 14, 2024, which is also Marley's 79th birthday.
Ben Adir plays Bob Marley in Bob Marley: One Love
British actor Kingsley Ben-Adir has appeared in several plays and television programs. In addition to his roles in Barbie, Peaky Blinders, and The OA, he is most known for playing Malcolm X in One Night in Miami.
According to Adir, there was a lot of pressure to portray such a legendary character as Marley, who had so many different sides to him (via CBS News). For Bob Marley: One Love, he had to shed about 40 pounds to be a similar size.
"So there was a lot of instructions for me. You know, 'Remember, he's this. Remember, he's not that. Don't do this. Don't do that."
He was to be Marley without being an exact copy, and that was quite difficult.
"There were a lot of conversations with the family where it was like, we're just trying to find Bob's essence and his spirit in this film. You can't copy Bob."
Ben-Adir had to learn to speak Jamaican, which was the biggest challenge. He said that to become Marley, he had to practically do all the things he had never done. To him, the aura of Marley was quite awe-inspiring.
"When Bob moves and when he sings and when he's on stage, there's something really profound going on."
In the end, however, hard work does pay off. Ziggy Marley, Bob's son, told the BBC that he was pleased with Kingsley's performance in Bob Marley: One Love.
"Kingsley really did his homework. He's so well-prepared. I don't think anyone else was capable of that role."
Cast of the movie
Actress Lashana Lynch, who plays Rita Marley in Bob Marley: One Love, is British but of Jamaican ancestry. She gained recognition for her roles as Nomi, the new 007 agent in No Time to Die, and Maria Rambeau in Captain Marvel. 2022 saw her win the BAFTA Rising Star Award as well.
Rita Marley is a Jamaican singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, and native of Cuba. She is a vocalist with the group I Threes and the widow of reggae icon Bob Marley. She is also the founder of the Bob Marley Foundation, a nonprofit that aids citizens in impoverished nations.
The other cast includes British actor James Norton as Chris Blackwell, a British-Jamaican hotelier and former record producer. Blackwell founded Island Records, which paved the way for the careers of several well-known performers, including Grace Jones, U2, and Bob Marley. Sevana, a singer, actress, and model from Jamaica, plays Judy Mowatt, a Jamaican singer and songwriter who gained recognition as a member of the I Threes, Bob Marley & The Wailers' backing vocal group.
The cast also includes:
- Tosin Cole, an American-born British actor, plays Tyrone Downie, a Jamaican musician who played keyboards and piano for Bob Marley and The Wailers.
- Alexx-A-Game is playing Peter Tosh, a Jamaican reggae musician and a founding member of the Wailers, along with Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer.
- Umi Myers plays Cindy Breakspeare, the mother of Damian Marley, a reggae artist and son of Bob Marley, with whom she had a relationship.
- Sheldon Shepherd plays Neville Garrick, a Jamaican graphic artist and photographer who worked closely with Bob Marley as his art director.
- Sam Palladio plays Joe Strummer, a British singer-songwriter and musician who co-founded the punk rock band The Clash in 1976.
Bob Marley: One Love will be released theatrically on February 14, 2024, by Paramount Pictures.
