'Bob Marley: One Love': Kingsley Ben-Adir Talks 'Extraordinary' Experience of Portraying Music Legend (Exclusive)

The highly-anticipated Bob Marley: One Love is out in theatres now, and the film takes a look at the life of music legend Bob Marley. Kingsley Ben-Adir plays Bob Marley in the Paramount film, and PopCulture.com spoke to the 37-year-old actor about portraying an iconic character. 

"It was pretty extraordinary. From the beginning to now, really, it's been... life-changing, in a way," Ben-Adir told PopCulture. "And I guess what I mean when I say that is I got to learn who Bob was, what he stood for, his experience as a child and growing up and as a man, through spending time with his friends and family. And I read all the books and then I really put them aside and just listened to what the people who knew him had to say. It was very special."

Ben-Adir is no stranger to playing legendary figures as he portrayed Malcolm X in the 2020 film One Night in Miami, and he played former President Barack Obama in the 2020 miniseries The Comey Rule. Bob Marley: One Love is the first full-length biopic about Marley, which could lead to added pressure for Ben-Adir. And there were challenges for him when it came to preparing for the role. 

"I'm not a musician, so it was the guitar, it was the singing," he said. "It was understanding all of the music and the meaning of the music, how he created music. The history, the culture. It was trying to figure out a way to get as much as possible as I could into each day. And then trusting that, trusting that we had the right amount of time. Yeah, there were lots of challenges."

Fans will be impressed with Ben-Adir's ability to capture the essence of Marley. And while Ben-Adir learned a lot about Marley while working on their film, there was one aspect of him that stood out. 

"The thing that stuck with me most is his extraordinary work ethic and how much music meant to him," Ben-Adir said. "It wasn't just something that he did, it was something that he lived for, and he put everything into it. And what it cost him and what it took to arrive at that message of universal peace and love and humanity coming together and togetherness... What I learned was that that didn't come for free and it wasn't easy. He went on a journey to get there, and that journey was tough at times."