Kingsley Ben-Adir has been a rising star since he first captured hearts on Hulu’s (tragically canceled) High Fidelity. So it comes as something of a surprise to learn that the actor—who since appeared in Barbie and stars in the forthcoming Bob Marley: One Love—had never actually attended an awards ceremony. “If I’m honest, the Grammys was the first in person award show I’ve been to,” he says.
For the occasion, the actor opted for a hot-off-the-runway Gucci look. “The bomber was part of my childhood in ’97 and ’98—the black and green bombers came back into fashion when I was 10 or 11,” he says. “I hadn’t seen them in a while in that way. I liked what Sabato [De Sarno] did with it.”
Even though it was a relatively low-pressure night for Ben-Adir, the actor was still on movie promotion duty. And what better place to promote a Bob Marley biopic than at music’s biggest night? At the Grammys, he shared a table with Bob Marley’s son, Ziggy, and bantered with host Trevor Noah about the film. Embodying the late Jamaican singer has only amplified Ben-Adir’s respect for musicians. “To write as many incredible songs as Bob did is out of this world,” he says. “To write one hit song is something, but to write as many as he did, is kind of otherworldly. He was very, very special.”
Despite his novice status, Ben-Adir has already intuited some awards show tips. “No one has told me any advice,” he says. Though, he clarifies, “I imagine make sure you pee before you go in and don’t drink too much in case anyone comes over to you to ask you questions.”
Below, join Kingsley Ben-Adir as he prepares for his first-ever awards show.