‘Bob Marley: One Love’ Team on Exploring the Icon’s Music and His Message in New Film

Anaja I. Smith
·2 min read
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On Tuesday, the Los Angeles premiere of Bob Marley: One Love was held at Westwood’s Regency Theater, where the theme of the night was the prolific star’s spirituality and how that commitment translated throughout his musical movement.

“You can’t separate the music and the message,” is a quote that Kingsley Ben-Adir, who plays Marley in One Love, can be heard saying in the trailer. The line serves as a reminder that Marley used reggae music as a way to promote peace, love and unity in his Jamaican culture and throughout the world.

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“To get that line put into the film was really important,” the star told The Hollywood Reporter on the red carpet. “When you understand what Bob’s saying in his songs, he’s talking about God. He’s singing for God through him.”

Ziggy Marley, who is Bob Marley’s son as well as a producer on the film, explained why his father used singing to connect to others and overcome adversity. “Music is a powerful tool if you use it the right way, and that was his tool,” he said. “He kind of sacrificed himself for that message.”

It is a message that screenwriters Terence Winter and Frank E. Flowers wanted to capture during the pivotal times in Marley’s life, including a shooting and his exodus to London. These moments, Winter said, are “terrifying in spots and inspirational in others, and heartbreaking and uplifting. It all happened in a very small part of his life.”

Bob Marley’s influence also went beyond the stage and into his own home with his children, as Ziggy Marley recalled how growing up, fathers “want you to be just like them,” and ultimately his connection and experiences with his father prepared him for the film.

“They’ve never been in his car with his kids, they’ve never been in the studio with him,” he said of the audience. “This film is going to bring it inside to his world… You’re now a part of the band, a part of the community that hangs around Bob, and you’re going to see everything and experience everything.”

Flowers added that while working on the film, he realized Marley “was an ego-less rock star.”

“He was a man who did not want things to be about him,” the writer added. “He wanted it to be about his message, and that was a beautiful thing to tap into for us.”

Bob Marley: One Love hits theaters on Feb. 14.

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