British actress Lashana Lynch has said it was “one of the biggest gifts” to spend time with the widow of Bob Marley, whom she plays in an upcoming biopic.
The 36-year-old, known for starring in TV series Still Star-Crossed, spoke of the “feminine power” embodied by Rita Marley, who was a member of Jamaican reggae vocal group the I-Threes.
Speaking to Elle UK for the magazine’s February issue, she said: “Getting to know Rita, through spending time with her personally and on the page, has been one of the biggest gifts.
“Her feminine power is so apparent and mighty that my core has almost received a resurgence by playing her.
“I could retire tomorrow and feel I went out with one of the best decisions for my spirit, my career and my culture.
“I get the chance to peel back the layers of my culture through my work again and again.
“Doing it through Bob and Rita’s story is almost a personal love letter to women like her. I hope Jamaica can feel proud of what we’ve created.”
Rita was left widowed when Bob died aged 36 in 1981.
His band Bob Marley And The Wailers had hits with tracks including I Shot The Sheriff, Buffalo Soldier, Exodus and No Woman, No Cry.
His posthumously released 1984 record Legend became one of the biggest selling albums of all time and spent 12 weeks topping the UK charts.
The new biopic, Bob Marley: One Love, will be released in February and stars British actor Kingsley Ben-Adir as Bob.
Actress Lynch is also a part of the Marvel universe and played Maria Rambeau in 2019 film Captain Marvel.
Speaking about her work, she said: “I was desperate to be a part of franchises (as with Marvel) because I really wanted to make my mark.
“That was an incredible experience. It taught me a lot and gave me more agency, more of a voice, and really gave me the skills that I needed to step into production on my own.
“I also wanted to educate the industry about how versatile black women can be.
“I know that’s not only going to make it easier for me; (but) it will make it easier for the black women that I hopefully work with more in the future.”
Lynch has appeared in films including Brotherhood (2016), No Time To Die (2021), and The Woman King (2022).
She also stars in and is co-executive producer on upcoming TV series The Day Of The Jackal, featuring Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne.
The February issue of Elle UK is on sale from January 3rd.
