Kingsley Ben-Adir has had some great roles in recent years and has been a star on the rise. In 2023 he appeared in Marvel’s Secret Invasion and Margot Robbie’s Barbie and 2024 has been off to a huge start with his role starring as Bob Marley in the biopic Bob Marley: One Love. Ben-Adir received strong reviews for his performance in the new film, and he may have Barbie director Gerta Gerwig to thank for that, as she greatly assisted in his preparation for the role.
And it was a role that Kingsley Ben-Adir almost didn’t even take. In an interview with Esquire the actor reveals that he didn’t initially think he was right for the role, but it was one that he was nevertheless drawn to go after.
Why Kingsley Ben-Adir Almost Said No To Bob Marley: One Love
Playing Bob Marley in a biopic was going to be a tall order for whatever actor took it on. It seems that the scope of the role was both the most compelling reason that Kingsley Ben-Adir was interested in the role, and the reason he thought he should stay away from it. As someone who apparently couldn’t sing or play guitar, even he didn’t think he was right for the part, but he was also excited by the fact that he wasn’t sure how to approach the role. The actor explained…
I just was like, ‘I’m not the right person for Bob.’ I felt that strongly. I just couldn’t walk away from it, because it felt pretty dangerous. I had absolutely no idea where to start. It’s weird excitement in that way.
In the end, he put together an audition tape and ended up meeting with the Marley family before being given the role. But that meant he would need to prepare to play Bob Marley in the middle of his role as one of the Kens in Barbie. Luckily Greta Gerwig had his back.
How Greta Gerwig Helped Him Prepare On The Set Of Barbie
Considering just how big this role was, and that even Kingsley Ben-Adir admitted he didn’t know where to start, preparing for the role was going to be even more important than usual. Luckily, the actor has a key supporter in Barbie director Greta Gerwig. While the One Love production began to get the actor's Bob Marley look right, Esquire reports that Gerwig carved out a space, literally right behind the Mojo Dojo Case House, where Ben-Adir learned the guitar and would be free to practice his Marley mannerisms and start to find the character.
Based on the response to Kingsley Ben-Adir’s performance, the work was worth it. While the film overall wasn’t given rave reviews, the lead performance by Ben-Adir was generally seen as the strongest part of the film. Apparently, the Mjo Dojo Case House was a very useful space for at least one Ken.
