‘Bob would fire bun dat’ - Culture Yard not pleased with choice of actor to play Marley

Following reports that British actor Kingsley Ben-Adir has been cast to play Bob Marley in a biopic, residents of Trench Town, where the reggae legend hones his music skills, say a non-Jamaican portraying him will not appear authentic.

Founder of the Culture Yard in Trench Town, Michael Smith, told THE STAR that, in his opinion, there are enough Jamaican actors who look like Marley and are authentic.

"The tones would be authentic, the language would be authentic, the inflections would be authentic [rather] than a UK person doing this. Yuh ago need the accent. Yuh gwine need that accent to make it more authentic cause weh you ago get is a different accent."

Ben-Adir, 35, was born to a white, English father and a black mother who had Trinidadian parents. He has portrayed Colonel Ben Younger in Peaky Blinders, Malcom X in One Night in Miami and Barack Obama in The Comey Rule.

Everett Green, a patron of the Culture Yaad, added "We tired of the misrepresentation of our dialect and our sound. Them keep on using these British and Americans fi act Jamaican as if we doah have actors here."

The still-unnamed film has the support of Marley's wife Rita as well as his children Ziggy and Cedella, who are producers. It is said to depict the life and career of the reggae music icon.

Smith, who says he knew Marley, told THE STAR that no representation of his life would be accurate without consulting those members of the community who were present while he lived in Trench Town.

Green added "If a script a write, it a write without our input, enuh. If is a lie about when him was outta east Kingston a live or live a Denham Town round Oxford Street then that's fine. But his time in Trench town, dem affix come Trench Town come ask 'bout dat. There's so many things that we have read and seen so many documentaries weh we laugh cause that wrong."

Culture Yard was one of the many homes of the reggae icon before his death at age 36. While many of the Culture Yaad patrons were unaware of the film, they say it is a disrespect to Marley's legacy to have someone with fake locs playing the role. "Bob woulda fire bun dat long time," Green said. "Bob woulda say 'No rasta anuh we dat'."

Smith added "It wouldn't be right in the sight of Bob Marley. You woulda want a man with a locs and a accent weh fittingly. We want now, if we ago put out something to the world, that portray Bob, we ago want something that portray how him was. How him woulda talk to people and that. A foreigner now not gwine give you that accent, him doah have that inspiration. Mi know actor good fi make up, but it ago look false."