There were a lot of reservations, Ben-Adir, 37, tells EW over Zoom from his native U.K.
I was completely convinced that theres no point in auditioning for this.
He later quips, My question was if they’d been on a worldwide search and they said yes.
Kingsley Ben-Adir as Bob Marley in ‘Bob Marley: One Love’.Chiabella James/Paramount
And I said maybe they should go on another one.
But the role kept coming back to him.
Not necessarily well all of the time, he notes.
Lashana Lynch and Kingsley Ben-Adir as Rita and Bob Marley in ‘Bob Marley: One Love’.Chiabella James/Paramount
I butchered a lot of people’s ears for many days."
The final cut blends his voice with Marley’s archival recordings.
“Bobs not someone you might choreograph or copy,” Ben-Adir continues.
Director Reinaldo Marcus Green and Lashana Lynch as Rita Marley.Chiabella James/Paramount
It really saved him, and he separated himself from other artists around that time.
It was while filmingGreta GerwigsBarbie, playing one of the many Kens, that his prep began.
I actually set up a Bob station in Barbie Land, he shares.
Kingsley Ben-Adir as Bob Marley in ‘Bob Marley: One Love’.Chiabella James/Paramount
So Id do a take and then run to the Bob station and transcribe.
The overlap was interesting.
Its about knowing what it is youre trying to achieve, he explains.
Kingsley Ben-Adir as Bob Marley in ‘Bob Marley: One Love’.Chiabella James/Paramount
But if people need to do that to stay in their state of concentration, then fair enough.
Bob Marley: One Loveis in theaters Feb. 14.
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Kingsley Ben-Adir as Bob Marley in ‘Bob Marley: One Love’.Chiabella James/Paramount
