The story of how a Jamaican singer-songwriter overcame adversity to become the most famous reggae musician in the world is revealed in Director Reinaldo Marcus Green’s biopic, Bob Marley: One Love.
Green’s film celebrates the life and music of an icon who inspired generations through his message of love and unity and unveils the journey behind his revolutionary music.
On February 17, after the DGA membership screening in Los Angeles, Green discussed the making of Bob Marley: One Love during a Q&A moderated by Director Jeffrey W. Byrd (A Beautiful Soul).
During the conversation, Green spoke about the support he received from the Marley family during the making of the film.
“Language is such a big part of our film. Not just Jamaican Patois, but Bob’s specific Patois. Bob spoke a very certain way. Having Ziggy Marley there was so helpful in that process because I’m not a native Patois speaker and Kingsley Ben-Adir’s not a native Patois speaker. In order to facilitate changes, we needed that intermediary kind of person there to help. I always speak in movie terms. It’s always about the movie and I think that’s the way to communicate with family members. Making a movie, the moment you step on a film set it is fake. We’re recreating our version of the truth, and we have to speak in those terms just to help them through the process of making a movie, like, ‘Hey. I understand that the bullet happened here, but you can’t see it on camera.’ I think they respect that.”
Green’s other directorial credits include the feature films Monsters and Men, Joe Bell and the Academy Award-nominated feature, King Richard; the documentary mini-series Amend: The Fight for America; episodes of the HBO limited series We Own This City; and episodes of the series Top Boy. Green has been a DGA member since 2019.