INTERVIEW: ‘It Was a Spiritual Journey’, says Actor Kingsley Ben-Adir on 'Bob Marley: One Love'
How did you approach playing the role and living up to the legend of Bob Marley?
It wasn’t easy. Thankfully, there is a lot of backstory about the man out there, so that’s where I started. There is so much to understand about Bob Marley beyond what we know from the music. He was an amazing artist, of course, but he was also a worker, a grafter and a genius.
Even as you step into Bob’s shoes, you don’t do all of the singing in the film yourself. What was reason behind this decision?
The fact is that no one can sing like Bob Marley. He sang from his soul, his gut. He sang for his life, and gave everything. That’s not something you can replicate or recreate.
I can’t reach the incredible range he had. It made sense to use his voice for the concert scenes, and the way he communicated with his audience in his unique way. The challenge for me was not to try and sing like Bob, but to match his energy and passion I hope I did him justice.
But it is you singing in some of the scenes.
Yes, in the rehearsal scenes with just Bob in the studio.
I sang for those scenes thinking my voice was going to be dubbed over later on. Bob’s family was supposed to come in and work something for those scenes, so I was pretty surprised when I saw they had left it as me. It’s a compliment, I guess.
How did you go about getting his physicality right, especially for those concert scenes?
There is a footage of Bob performing War at the Rainbow Theatre in London, which I found compelling, even before I got the role.
I watched it over and over because it’s just so powerful and otherworldly. Bob would always say about getting his energy from somewhere higher, and that’s what it felt like when I was watching him. It was difficult to figure out how to replicate his way of moving because he was never choreographed or rehearsed.
I spent months studying him to try and get somewhere close to that.
What kind of training did you do?
We did a lot of dance training with (choreographer) Polly Bennett. She figured out that I’m pretty gangly (laughs). I throw my arms everywhere. Bob doesn’t do that. We worked a lot on trying to make me look like a much better dancer than I am, basically.
How did you manage to find the right chemistry with Lashana Lynch, who plays Rita Marley?
We hit it off right away. We met six-months before we started shooting, so we had time to build a relationship and find that chemistry. Lashana is just incredible and she made my job so much easier. We worked hard to bring as much dignity and love to Bob and Rita.
What will be your lasting memory of playing Bob Marley?
The love and passion we all shared in telling this story.
I have never been a part of such a collaborative project. From the cast and crew to Bob’s family and friends, everyone was striving to do the best they could for Bob and for each other. It was incredible to work with that amount of love and trust.
Would you say playing Bob Marley has changed you at all?
Spending time with this great man, his music, family and friends has changed me in a positive way.
Where does playing Bob Marley rank alongside your time playing Malcolm X and Barack Obama?
They had their different challenges. They’re all special but, to me, Bob is something else. It was an emotional and spiritual journey for me.
Finally, what do you hope audiences will take away from watching this film?
I hope they are entertained, moved, and that they come to think about how Bob was trying to tap into something higher than most of us could comprehend. His music will live on. And what he is saying in his music is especially poignant right now. I hope people hear him through this film and think about his message to the world.