Marley biopic made Ziggy think about dad’s struggles

For Ziggy Marley, Bob Marley: One Love, the biopic about the late reggae icon, made him ponder about all his father went through leading up to his passing on May 11, 1981 at the age of 36.

"It made me think about what him go through, what him never show anybody because of the circumstances. Getting shot ... running away ... getting cancer. Is a whole heap of things that pon a man ... so is like it mek mi think bout what him go through emotionally. And him did way young ...young, young, young. So we kinda try explore that yuh know ... the emotional side of Bob," a thoughtful Ziggy told THE STAR.

Bob Marley : One Love had its grand Jamaican premiere at Carib 5 in Cross Roads, Kingston, on Tuesday, starting with a busy red carpet bustling with the likes of lead actor, Kingsley Ben-Adir, who plays Bob Marley; the Marley clan led by Ziggy; Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle; Paramounts Pictures CEO Brian Robbins and his wife Tracy; many of the Jamaican actors in the film; producers; and a host of government ministers, led by Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

Ziggy, who along with his sister Cedella and mother Rita, is a producer of the film, shared that he was most concerned about portraying his father's message.

"I am happy with it. It represent right. The message inna it strong. And for Bob ... for my father ... the important thing inna it was the message," he said during a brief interview on the red carpet at the premiere.

Bob Marley: One Love has a strong Jamaican contingent playing key roles, among them Alex A Game as Peter Tosh; Sheldon Shepherd who plays Neville Garrick; Hector Lewis as Wailers drummer, Carlton Barrett; Aston Barrett, playing his father 'Familyman' Barrett; David 'Davo' Kerr as his father, Junior Marvin; Sevana, as Judy Mowatt; and Naomi Cowan as Marcia Griffiths. British-Jamaican actress Lashana Lynch plays Rita Marley while James Norton, Tosin Cole, Anthony Welsh, Michael Gandolfini, Umi Myers and Nadine Marshall also star in the film.

The 'Jamaicanisation' of the set was important to Ziggy.

"Kingsley is not Jamaican, so we seh mek we surround him with Jamaicans so him can ketch the vibes," Ziggy explained.

In a post-premiere interview with ETOnline, Ben-Adir stated, "This is a Jamaican movie. In this country -- forget around the world, the world loves Bob - what Bob means to Jamaica and what Bob means to Jamaican culture, there's nothing like it."

Bob Marley: One Love is scheduled to be released in theatres on February 14, by Paramount Pictures.