Youd be forgiven for not quite knowing where youve seen Kingsley Ben-Adir before.
SUN IS SHININGA still fromBob Marley: One Love,in theaters February 14.
(A few years later, in 1981, Marley would die from melanoma at 36. it’s possible for you to start smelling the sense of,This is kind of too good.
POSITIVE VIBRATIONActors Kingsley Ben-Adir and Lashana Lynch, who costar inBob Marley: One Love,both wear Bottega Veneta.Fashion Editor: Eric McNeal.
So then theres a kind of pressure to it, he says, flashing a sly smile.
Theres a bit of danger.
So I thought, Whats the harm?
SUN IS SHININGA still fromBob Marley: One Love,in theaters February 14.
Its always been about afeelingfor Ben-Adir.
Also, often, tears.
LEGENDARY STUFFBen-Adir wears a Gucci by Sabato De Sarno jacket, shirt, and pants.
LEGENDARY STUFFBen-Adir wears a Gucci by Sabato De Sarno jacket, shirt, and pants.
There were certain films and TV shows that kept making me cry, he says.
A lot of kids who were on the edge of being expelled got thrown into drama.
We took a step to try and get it done, he says.
ISLAND TIMELynch wears a Ferragamo top and skirt.
But the funny thing is, for us, everything works out the way it should work out.
We live with that spiritual kind of rule.
(This June will mark six years since the film was announced.)
An important first step was finding their director.
Green was hired in March 2021, and by February 2022 the movie had its Bob.
I didnt know who Kingsley Ben-Adir was.
I really didnt, Green says.
Id heard the name, and maybe I saw him in something and didnt realize I saw him.
But reviewing his tape, I was like,Whoa, whosthisguy?
He really had incredible presence, and he did a lot in the pausesa lot in the silence.
Both of Lynchs parents had moved to England from Kingston, so for her, the movie was personal.
My whole country will come for you.
But after a chemistry read with Ben-Adir, the part was hers.
The preparation started instantly, and went on for about five months.
Ben-Adir slimmed back down.
He listened to Marleys albums over and over again, and learned to play the guitar.
Its the most complicated acting task Ive ever faced, he says.
Yet by the time he started shooting, he could understand everything Bob was saying.
I dont want to justturn up.I find that quite depressingplaying Bob Marley certainly gave him more to juggle.
But he had firm supports in place, the Marley family chief among them.
I spent a lot of time talking to them about acting.
Lynch was another important resource.
Days when Lashana was there were always the best days, he says.
I feel like I immediately stepped into Rita when I saw Kingsleys need on set, she says.
Yet she also admired how completely hed steeped himself in the work.
I dont think Ive ever seen or worked with someone so committed, she says.
It forced the cast, the supporting artists, the heads of department,everyoneto be on their A-game.
ISLAND TIMELynch wears a Ferragamo top and skirt.
And Ben-Adir was thrilled to feel so welcome there.
But what he encountered was just the opposite.
They were like,This English boy crazy.
It was a strange thing, whenOne Lovefinally wrapped last April.
I enjoyed the responsibilityit really makes you feel alive, Ben-Adir reflects.
And then afterwards you feel,Oh, everythings just slow.
But he can do slow tooin fact, his body gave him little choice.
My immune system crashed.
I was in bed for four days in sweats, he remembers.
The adrenaline just disappeared.
Between jobs, at home in east London, he keeps a very low profile.
Instead, he chatters happily about his love of long walks and cold swims.
We meet to swim and have black coffee and then go home.
When we speak, Ben-Adir still seems to be processing theOne Lovewhirlwind.
One senses he hasnt quite come down from the high.
I mean,Jesus Christ.
He erupts into self-conscious laughter.
Now Ive said it like that, its kind of stressful.
In this story: hair, Naivasha; makeup, Jessica Smalls.
