Bob Marley has always felt the power of his music and its capacity to unite people, and Bob Marley: One Love’s aims to capture the immense scope of the icon, and a side of Bob Marley that few have ever seen. “Bob carried the weight of the world on his shoulders to bring one love and joy to others. He bore that pain for us. He carried abandonment. He carried agony. He carried guilt. But he did not carry hate,” says director Reinaldo Marcus Green after immersing himself in the world of the musician.
Watch the “Filming in Jamaica” featurette here:
The cast also came away with their insight on what Bob Marley means to them, after everything. Lashana Lynch, who plays Rita Marley, associates inner peace with Bob Marley.. “If many in this world had even a slice of the level of peace that Bob harnessed throughout his time on this Earth, well, we all know how that could reverberate,” says Lynch. Kingsley Ben-Adir, who plays the iconic musician, learned about some aspects of Bob Marley’s personality that aren’t well-known. “He wasn’t sentimental,” Ben-Adir says. “I can say that confidently. I’ve spent enough time with him now to know that Bob wasn’t sentimental. Music and football were his systems of how he felt good. Football, stamina, running, music, lick of smoke. He lost himself in the music. I feel like he’s singing for his life a lot of the time.”
For Bob Marley’s friends and family, they only sought to make something that would make the icon proud. Cedella Marley, daughter of Bob Marley, hopes that the film would have the same continuous positive impact on the world as her father has. “My kids, I hope they witness a different type of kindness. Kindness for Mankind, kindness for one another. There are still certain things I thought my children would never have to experience, that you never thought would still be happening,” she says. “And if not my children, hopefully their children. We’ll keep spreading his message. Because Bob Marley still has a lot of work to do.”
The story of a legend unfolds today as Bob Marley: One Love opens in cinemas.
