Lashana Lynch On Bob Marley Biopic: “I Cannot Wait To Remind The World Of Rita Marley’s Love And Power”
Lashana Lynch – the 35-year-old British actress who will be playing Rita Marley in Paramount Pictures’ Bob Marley biopic — says she can’t wait to remind the world of the Reggae icon’s “love and power.”
Lynch, who was born to Jamaican parents in West London, appeared to be in a reflective mood when she shared an Instagram reel on Tuesday (April 4), giving a synopsis of her journey as Rita.
“For the last seven months, I have had the honour of learning, spending time with and embodying Mrs Rita Marley. I cannot wait to share her experience with you all and remind the world of her power and love,” Lynch began in the caption of a clip, where she is seen shaving her head.
“I’m always so charged after a role, but this as an artist, as an emotional being, as a melanated woman and as a Jamaican, to use the world “changed” would be an understatement.”
She continued: “Now that the wig is off, the shedding beginnings. And that started with shaving my head and starting spring with fresh hair strands. Do something for yourself to start anew this season. You won’t regret it. ✨”
Bob’s son Ziggy Marley recently announced that filming has officially wrapped up for the biopic, which covers Bob Marley’s life between 1976 and 1978.
The yet-to-be-named film is set for a January 12, 2024 release and will feature lead actor Kingsley Ben Adir.
Lynch, who is known for her roles in the MCU’s Captain Marvel (2019), the James Bond flick No Time To Die (2021), and The Woman King (2022), has seemingly been enjoying some downtime in Ghana since her schedule has become lighter.
She also shared highlights from the trip; most of which are Ghanaian cuisine.
Jamaicans initially expressed displeasure at Lynch’s and Ben-Adir’s casting, suggesting that Jamaican-born actors should be picked for those roles instead. Even so, it was reported that the two actors dominated their respective auditions.
The actors also, importantly, won over Ziggy, Rita and Cedella Marley, who are representing Tuff Gong as producers on the film.
According to Ziggy, during Sunday morning’s episode of Irie FM’s The Running African, the handpicked cast members all did justice to their roles.
“Suh yeh, wi feel like wi do a good job…The actor is Ben Adir; he is an English man but him really did a good job. Lashana Lynch, she is another phenomenal actor that we have in it; she plays my madda. And the whole cast is basically Jamaican. We have so much relatives of people who was actually there: Ras Michael son; Chinna Smith, Family Man son inna it, Junior Marvin son; Bunny Wailer son inna it. Sheldon play Neville. So it just represent right,” he said.
The late Reggae icon met Rita in the 1960s, and they got married on February 10, 1966 in Kingston. The union produced three children: daughter Cedella and sons Ziggy and Stephen.
Bob also adopted Sharon, a daughter Rita had from another relationship.
Rita was a member of the backing vocalist trio “I Threes”, who supported the “Bob Marley and the Wailers” as backup singers.
The now 76-year-old has several successful solo albums under her belt – Who feels It Knows It, Harambe, We Must Carry On which was nominated for a Reggae Grammy in 1992, Spectacle For Tribuffalos, Sunshine After Rain, as well as the classic reggae album Beginning, with the I-Threes.
Her biggest hit is the 1982 single One Draw which sold more than two million copies globally and made music history as the first reggae single to top the Billboard Disco Charts. It was re-released in April 2014 under Shanachie Records.
Among her other top songs are A Jah Jah, Earth Runnings, Good Moning Jah, Serious Time, One More Morning, So Much Things to Say and Who Colt the Game, a single with her younger son Stephen.
She was bestowed with the Order of Distinction (OD) by the Government of Jamaica in 1996 for her outstanding works and accomplishments. In 2004, she was awarded Personality of the Year in Ghana in recognition of her work through the Rita Marley Foundation, and in November 2011 was awarded the prestigious Honorable Marcus Garvey Lifetime Achievement Award at the Caribbean American Heritage Awards in recognition of her outstanding contributions.
In August 2013, she was presented with an honorary Ghanaian citizenship from the government of Ghana, West Africa, for her philanthropic work in that country.
Also, in 2015 she was conferred with an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters by the University of the West Indies (UWI). The UWI not only honoured her for her contribution to the global development of Reggae music, but also for her philanthropic works in Ghana and Jamaica.
The university, its citation, described her as a source of inspiration who, since Bob’s passing, has continued to build with the Marley family, a globally recognised musical empire.”