Bob Marley
THE MOVIE: One love
KINGSLEY BenAdir and Lashana Lynch walked the red carpet at the U.K premier of the new Bob Marley biopic, "Bob Marley: One Love" last Tuesday.
Kingsley who plays legendary reggae icon, Bob Marley recently starred in "Barbie" and "Secret Invasion" while Lynch plays Marley's wife Rita.
The film, which is produced by Brad Pitt's company Plan B Entertainment, charts the journey behind Bob Marley's music, and message of love and unity.
Despite more than 500 books being written about Marley, who died in 1981 at age 36, there was still a lot to learn about the music superstar for the cast and crew.
"Everything I learned about Bob I learned for the first time when I was with the family," said Ben-Adir, who plays Marley.
"I auditioned and then I was with them straight away, learning who he is as a human, who he was on a more personal level outside of the public persona - that was all new; everything I learned was new."
The biographical musical drama was produced in partnership with the Marley family, and two of his sons, Ziggy and Rohan Marley were there to represent their late father.
The films director, Reinaldo Marcus Green, whose 2021 movie "King Richard" was nominated for a best picture Oscar said, "There's so much to discover about his life.
"What a rich man, what a rich history, what a rich music - yeah, a lot of discoveries still left," added Green.
While stepping into Marley's shoes was a challenge for Ben-Adir, he had the seal of approval from the late singers family who called his performance "amazing."
"Kingsley did a great job. I mean, it surprised everybody!" said Ziggy Marley, adding, "When we premiered it in Jamaica last week the Jamaican people loved him so I think that says it all."
"Jamaicans are the biggest critics of anything, you know, they always have something to say, so when they say something is good, it's really good," laughed Rohan.
"Bob Marley: One Love" premiered at the Carib Theatre in Kingston, Jamaica last Tuesday, with the world premiere hitting theatres on 14 February.