Arriving in the heart of award’s season in 2021, the biopic King Richard proved to be a breakout success for director Reinaldo Marcus Green – the film earning widespread critical praise and Will Smith ultimately winning the Oscar for Best Actor. In the aftermath of that kind of achievement, it’s logical that a filmmaker would use what they learned from the experience as they begin work on their next project, and Green did exactly that in the making of his new film Bob Marley: One Love.
As captured in the video above, I interviewed Reinaldo Marcus Green earlier this month during the London press day for his new movie, and he discussed what he took away from his time making King Richard and how he applied it to the making of Bob Marley: One Love. Making another movie based on a true story, he emphasized collaborating with the people who were in the lives of the subject being depicted. Said Green,
For me, having the support of the family was paramount in making King Richard. Having Isha Price on set every day as a representative of the family was amazing because all the nuance and the character details that we were able to grab – 'No, the room didn't look like this, and we didn't have this kind of furniture.' And I loved that they were protective of the family in the right way. And so, and especially with a film like this, I needed the support of the family. So that was paramount. That was number one.
For the director, it was invaluable to have the perspectives and memories of the people who were in Bob Marley’s life at the time surrounding the making of the Bob Marley and the Wailers album Exodus. As noted by Green, he got just that thanks to the Marley family – including Rita, Ziggy, and Stephen Marley – and Cedella Booker.
Reinaldo Marcus Green also spoke to how the making of King Richard influenced the casting process for Bob Marley: One Love – specifically when it came to performers and certain skillsets… or the lack thereof. Rather than being overly concerned about how an actor might swing a racquet, the more important thing was working with someone who could properly capture their character. Knowing that he was going to use Bob Marley’s music, Green didn’t search for sound-alikes:
I knew that I wasn't looking for tennis players; I wasn't looking for a musician. I was looking for a great actor. I knew that I had Bob's voice, so that was kind of my ‘Get Outta Jail Free’ card; I was gonna use Bob's music in the film. And so I just needed to find Bob; that was number one. And if I found Bob, everything else would fall into place.
Fortunately for Reinaldo Marcus Green, he found Kingsley Ben-Adir. The British actor has experience on his resume playing real people – having played Malcolm X in Regina King’s One Night In Miami… and Barack Obama in the 2020 miniseries The Comey Rule – but portraying Bob Marley was still a new challenge.
I asked Reinaldo Marcus Green to compare and contrast Will Smith’s approach to playing Richard Williams and Kingsley Ben-Adir’s performance in One Love. He explained that they were basically night and day, saying,
No, I think they're very different actors. Very different actors, very different approaches. Equally talented. Everybody comes at the game completely different – but also completely different roles. Maybe if Will was playing Bob Marley sure. He would've taken a similar methodology. So I think in this case, it was so unique given who Kingsley had to capture in this film.
Continuing, the filmmaker specifically highlighted Ben-Adir’s transformation as Bob Marley:
He had to undergo a complete transformation in a physical way. Obviously mental, but physical transformation – learning how to sing, learning how to dance, learning how to play guitar, learning how to speak like Bob's specific patois, which is different than Janet, than just patois itself. It was just a very different role that he had to prepare for.
Audiences can now see Kingsley Ben-Adir in action, as Bob Marley: One Love is now playing in theaters everywhere. Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more from my interviews with the director and stars of the film, and preview all of the other big titles on the way this year by checking out our 2024 Movie Release Calendar.
