Director Reinaldo Marcus Green Shares His Most Memorable Moment Filming The Bob Marley Movie
For Reinaldo Marcus Green, director of the Bob Marley: One Love biopic, recreating the historic One Love Peace Concert stands out as the most memorable moment of the entire production.
“There were so many [memorable moments],” Green told DancehallMag on the red carpet at the film’s premiere in Kingston, Jamaica, on Tuesday, January 23. “But recreating the One Love Peace Concert at the end; recreating that, being in the same space where that event happened… it felt like we were on sacred ground.”
This reverence resonates throughout the film, Green said. “We felt that in many places while making the movie. We went everywhere, but that one in particular felt really special.”
The Paramount Pictures film, which stars British actor Kingsley Ben-Adir as Bob Marley and Lashana Lynch as Rita Marley, hits theaters globally on February 14, 2024.
The One Love Peace Concert, held April 22, 1978, occurred during a time of political turmoil and is famous for the moment when Marley joined the hands of political rivals Michael Manley (PNP) and Edward Seaga (JLP) while on stage, a scene teased in the widely publicized trailer for the film.
Green also shared that Jamaica had won over his heart long before work started on the Bob Marley project.
“We shot a show here called Top Boy, so it was amazing to come back… a lot of the same crew, seeing them again. It was amazing to come back. There were so many amazing people in front and behind the camera. The people of Jamaica were incredible,” he told DancehallMag.
Interestingly, Top Boy star Micheal Ward, of Jamaican-British descent, also appears in One Love.
Green, whose credits include Monsters and Men, Joe Bell, and the Oscar-nominated King Richard, anticipates viewers will love Marley’s biopic as they “made it with love.” He praised the entire cast, emphasizing that each actor embodied their roles flawlessly. “Starting with Kingsley Ben-Adir,” he said, “remarkable job! To embody someone as iconic as Bob Marley… the take that he presented in this film is nothing short of remarkable.”
“Lashana Lynch, she’s just such an amazing actress… Micheal Ward, Hector Lewis, James Norton… I mean, the list goes on,” the director added.
Ultimately, Green hopes Bob Marley: One Love will educate and inspire younger generations. “The expectation is that the next generation of kids will know who Bob Marley is and understand his music, understand his message and that’s a message of peace [and] love,” he said. “It’s quite special.”
Ben-Adir echoed the sentiment, sharing with DancehallMag his own desires for the film: “I hope people love the film, and I hope people engage with Bob’s lyrics and the meaning of the lyrics.”
