One Love: How Kingsley Ben-Adir became Bob Marley on the set of Barbie - BBC News

The actor initially turned down the role, saying it was too risky. What changed his mind?

1 day agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage caption, Kingsley Ben-Adir sang all of Bob Marley's songs live on set - although the film blends his voice with archive recordings of the reggae legendBy Mark SavageBBC Music CorrespondentActor Kingsley Ben-Adir knows what its like to play an iconic black leader.

In the last four years, he has portrayed former US president Barack Obama in The Comey Rule and civil rights activist Malcolm X in One Night In Miami.

But even for him, the prospect of becoming Bob Marley was daunting.

"You can't mimic him, you can't copy him, you can't choreograph him," says the 37-year-old. "It's just not possible. It's too spontaneous."

So when the opportunity first arose, he turned it down. The weight and the risk simply felt too big.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-67986987?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA

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