LAshana Lynch never stops. It took me a few months and three cancellations to get to talk to her, the last one a few hours before the appointment from London. And not because this London actress – who seems to have conquered all of Hollywood – wants to be difficult. If anything, because she is an unstoppable worker and takes her job damn seriously. In the last two years the interpreter of Agent Nomi of No Time to Die – with Daniel Craig/James Bond – he made one film after another, about five important roles, from Captain Marvel in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessto the barefoot warrior Izogie in The Woman King with Viola Davis, then Miss Honey in Matilda The Musical by Roald Dahl; she appeared in a cameo in The Marvels and is now finishing the TV series The day of the jackalfrom the novel by Frederick Forsyth (she is Bianca, the agent hunting the “jackal” Eddie Redmayne).
Lashana Lynch narrates Bon and Mrs. Marley
«Sorry for the delay, but it wasn’t my fault: one day I was on a set in Budapest, another in London, the next in some European location…». Today Lashana has a great desire to talk about her latest project, Bob Marley – One LoveThat celebrates the life and music of the great Jamaican musician: his enthusiasm, when we finally speak, is overwhelming; in his deep voice you hear neither fatigue nor annoyance. In the film she plays Rita, the wife (now 78 years old), partner and colleague of the reggae singer and activist – accompanied and supported him until his death, at just 36 years old – and intends to show the world who this charismatic and significant, yet still little-known, woman really was and is. It is a mission that heaven has assigned to her, she explains with conviction.
«It was essential for me, from the beginning, that his inner strength and his undeniable contribution, in general, to civil society came out. I’m not just referring to the courage with which she overcame so many hardships (in December 1976 seven armed men entered her house in Kingston and shot both her, seriously wounding her, and Bob): I want the world to know the generosity of her heart, his kind personality, his zest for life. Mrs. Marley is a magnificent woman who was respected and loved by anyone who was lucky enough to know her.”
An appreciated artist
In fact, we know little about it: born in Santiago, Cuba, and raised with her aunt in Kingston, Jamaica, Alpharita (Rita) Constantia Anderson began singing at a very young age in church, joined the vocal group The Soulettes and there she met Bob Marley. She was already a popular reggae artist when she became one of three backup singers (The I-Threes) who covered Marley and The Wailers’ concerts. With Bob she raised six children in an open family – some by her, some by him, plus the three they had together – and always together they actively participated in the battles for civil rights, Pan-Africanism, social reforms, the legalization of cannabis. After Marley’s death, “Sister Rita” took over her husband’s musical empire, created a philanthropic foundation in her name “to alleviate poverty and empower women in Jamaica and Ghana, and then there Bob Marley Foundation to preserve the spiritual, cultural and social ideals that inspired the musician’s life.” Now she has handed over the reins to her daughter Cedella, lives in Miami and is a grandmother to her numerous grandchildren.
«Yes, I found a lot of information online, I read his biography No Woman No Cry: My Life with Bob Marley, I have seen dozens of videos and recordings of concerts – Lynch continues – but I wanted to know the real Mrs. Marley, to know what she was like when she was young, how her relationship with Bob had shaped and influenced her; when I finally met her, everything seemed clear, evident to me. I no longer needed to ask her so many questions, to investigate her past: I gained her incredible positive energy from her.” Mrs. Marley invited her to her house twice, they spent hours looking at each other – she tells me – “feeling” each other. «It was like the meeting of two minds, of two spirits, who had respect for each other. I believe that Mrs. Marley opened up to me and to the world of cinema because she understood that I was not there as an actress: I was, simply, the instrument through which she could make herself heard and learn about it from many spectators.” Lashana returns to talk about Rita’s extraordinary positive energy. «I knew I had to make her understand that I was there to protect her. She had become my only aspiration.”
Kingsley Ben-Adir in “Bob Marley” with Lashana Lynch as Rita Marley in “Bob Marley: One Love”
Common Jamaican roots
It is their common Jamaican roots (Lashana was born in Hammersmith, a neighborhood of London, to a family of Jamaican origin) and the common almost mystical inspiration that unites these two women, born and raised in different times and countries. About their meeting, the actress says: «We had the opportunity to talk about our spirituality, what it really means, how it helps us make the right decisions, and how Rastafarianism (the political-religious movement that arose around 1930 among the black population of Jamaica, ed.) is a powerful practice that brings your heart from right side, always. Do you think what I’m saying makes sense?” he asks me, and continues: «I felt on set with Kingsley (Kingsley Ben-Adir, who plays Bob Marley, ed.) and the Rastafarians, I felt their energy forcefully, it was a continuous exchange of love and conversations about the black community, the culture of the Caribbean through the perspective of a formidable woman and man. I really hope that all this reaches the spectators.”
Bob Marley – One Love follows the vicissitudes of the most famous reggae musician in history between 1976 and 1978 (a politically unstable period in Jamaica), when he composed Exodus, still considered one of the most important musical albums (and according to Time magazine, even the best) of the 20th century. The profoundly pacifist sense of the film cannot be missed these days: «It comes at the right time – comments Lashana – and reminds us that a simple message of peace, unity and love can resonate with a force capable of touching you deeply, expanding infinitely and having a real effect on humanity. It’s too easy to watch a film, feel lighter and then after 24 hours shake it all off and go back to “normal” life. Here you have the opportunity to reflect on yourself, on your responsibilities.”
Voice, body and spirit aligned
Lynch is articulate, passionate, inspired, and even she is amazed when she thinks back to Lashana as a child, and the long path that led her to be a successful actress. «I was very shy, I certainly had no idea that one day I would act, much less that I would end up on a film set» she pauses. «But I remember that I always wanted to stimulate emotions in those around me. I wasn’t able to verbalize that ambition of mine then, but today I realize that I already knew or felt that I was capable of making people laugh or even cry and express myself in a creative space; This is why I started acting in the theater as a child. I realized I had a strong voice and started singing, then I discovered writing (I also wanted to write), dance and sport, trying to use my body in a different, more functional and effective way. I believe all those experiences have helped me in this career. I’m so grateful to be able to act, to have drawn from those small but meaningful experiences as a child and turned them into something bigger. Here it is » she concludes. «I’m happy that my mind, voice, body and spirit aligned like starsto create an art that now manifests itself through acting, but can become something different at any moment.”
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