How Reinaldo Marcus Green toed the line between truth and fiction in his new Bob Marley biopic

Q53:59Reinaldo Marcus Green

Working with family isn't always easy — especially when it's not your family. Director Reinaldo Marcus Green had to do just that when making his new film, Bob Marley: One Love, which explores the legendary reggae musician's life.

Green shows all sides of Marley in the film, ranging from his music-making process to his Rastafarianism to his womanizing.

But Marley's family was involved in the film, including his kids, so the director had to find a delicate way to tell them he wanted to show their father's full humanity — flaws and all.

"I like to communicate in movie terms. So even when I'm talking to the family, I'm very much talking about the movie that we're making," Green tells Q's Tom Power in an interview. "Separate Bob from the character of Bob."

Luckily, he says the Marley family was very understanding. Plus, having them around helped inform Green's portrayal of the musician. The way the Marley kids walk and talk are similar to their father, which helped Green better direct Kingsley Ben-Adir, who plays Marley in the movie.

You see Bob in the interviews and you're just like, 'Who is that guy when the tape cuts off?'- Reinaldo Marcus Green

This isn't Green's first time making a movie about a real person. He directed the Oscar-nominated film King Richard about Richard Williams, the father of tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams. The two other movies he directed, Joe Bell and Monsters and Men, are also based on true events.

But there's a reason why Green leans toward feature films rather than documentaries.

"They're just great stories," he says. "When I think about Goodfellas, it's based on real people. When I think about Rain Man, it's based on real people. You might as well call it a biography. Those are my favourite movies."

WATCH | Official trailer for Bob Marley: One Love:

The story is what drew Green to make Bob Marley: One Love. He heard about a poor, homeless boy in Trench Town, Jamaica who grew up without a father — and turned out to be Marley.

But even with the love of this story, Green knew that he was still making a movie about someone people knew a lot about. Marley's face is plastered on T-shirts and tote bags. His music is beloved. He's a cultural icon.

So he made the film as if Marley wasn't a star, but just a guy with an amazing story.

"You see Bob in the interviews and you're just like, 'Who is that guy when the tape cuts off?'" Green says. "He carried a heavy burden. And we wanted to show some of that."

The full interview with Reinaldo Marcus Green is available on our podcast, Q with Tom Power. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Interview with Reinaldo Marcus Green produced by Ben Edwards.