All eyes on Mahershala Ali
Master of every medium he has been on — be it stage, TV or film — Mahershala Ali is fresh off an Emmy nomination and a casting announcement as Blade in Marvel’s reboot. He chats about his latest role in True Detective, and how basketball taught him to be a better actor
Not many people knew how seasoned an actor Mahershala Ali was, up until a few years ago, when a film called Moonlight stole the show at the Oscars. Mostly famous for his appearances on television with shows like The 4400 and House of Cards, and in movies like The Hunger Games and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Ali struck gold in the 2016’s Moonlight, where he played Juan, a drug dealer who goes on to become a father figure (of sorts) to the film’s protagonist.
The role earned him a much deserved Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The honour was bestowed upon him once again, just last year, for his performance in Green Book. Growing from a steadily working actor to a legitimate star, Ali has been in the news recently, after being cast as Blade in Marvel’s reboot of the 1998 film, although it is still unclear if it will be a film or a TV series.
However, it is Ali’s role as a troubled cop, Wayne Hays, in True Detective Season Three (the finale of which airs today on Star World), that has everyone talking — especially since he has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie segment.
On the show, Ali portrays three stages of Hays’ life — his thirties, forties and seventies. From using his own grandfather’s looks as reference, Ali lets us in on what went into making Hays come alive on screen.
You won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and then you were in Into The Spiderverse that won the Best Animated Series. What does it feel like to be a winner?
Well, pretty good. I am in good company.
What did you do after? Go to parties?
We went to a couple of parties, but it hit a point where my wife and I — we took off around midnight or so and got home.
Your wife was just about to have a baby during the Academy Awards a couple of years ago...
Our daughter technically went with us to the Globes two years ago, because my wife was pregnant. This year, she was ready to greet us at five in the morning.
How did you decide to take up the role of Detective Wayne in True Detective?
Coming off of 2017 in the Oscars, I felt like reading those scripts and how fascinated I was with Wayne. And I knew that within my heart, mind, and spirit, I was really attracted to that character. I felt like I heard something in him and could see something there. I called my manager and my agent and I was like ‘Hey can you check and see if he would be interested in hearing me out for his other part’ so I’d sent over my pitch and some pictures of mine.
My grandfather was a state police officer in the ’60s. We got to meet again and I got to share with him how I felt sincerely, whether it was me or another actor of colour, or whatever.
You said your grandfather was a cop too...
There are things about Wayne that remind me of my grandfather. I was, naturally, pulling things from him. He’s somebody who joined the military when he was 15 or 16 years old and that was his third attempt. He started trying to join as early as 13, because he was always a tall kid and was trying to get out of his environment — get out of his house in Kentucky. He was able to finally join the Navy, I think, when he was 15 or 16. He was a state police officer in the ’60s and ’70s. He always, sort of, scared me because he was always a little bit grumpy. He was not a guy who was ever gonna say ‘I love you’ but he took care of his family. He was kind of a no-nonsense guy and I feel like there were so many elements in him that got put on the page.
Tell us about the transformation of Hays to a 70-year-old man. The make-up seems pretty on point...
Mike Marino! If Mike and his team didn’t pull that off, the series doesn’t work. That’s what I was really nervous about going into the project. I was blown away by the script and so excited that I got the part but the worry in the back of my mind was how are we gonna pull off this ageing thing. ’Cause, it’s not subtle —in terms of like going back from 35 to 70 — and what they did was just magical.
Did you walk around outside the set with that makeup on?
I did. And what was really interesting about it was that everyone treated me like this old guy that they had a lot of respect for. They would move out the way and help me indoors, or make sure I wasn’t falling. A couple of times I’d roll my ankle real quick, people (would) run over. I kid you not! I was like, ‘there’s something to look forward to how people treat you.’
Did your daughter see you in the makeup?
She did. Every now and then, I’d try to find that time when my wife and daughter come visit me on set. They came over one day, and I’m in the old-age makeup and she (daughter) just starts screaming and crying. So I was like, okay, we can’t do that anymore. So after that, I would try FaceTime. After a while, every time I ’d call from FaceTime from work, she would crack up. She was aware it was me at that point. Really confusing.
Is it true you cut your own hair? How do you do the back?
I do. With the mirror, you gotta use two mirrors and what not! I have been doing it for so long, it’s second nature. Literally, I have been cutting my hair since I was 12. I just have my ways of doing it.
Do you cut other people’s hair?
Not at the moment. I am doing solid financially, it’s like okay. I did cut my brother’s hair. He was visiting me from North Carolina, and he’s the first person other than myself whose hair I have cut in probably 20 years.
Who else have you cut hair for?
College classmates. I had to cut my coach’s hair. So me and my coach, we didn’t necessarily always get along...
What sport is this?
Basketball. I played ball in college. I remember being on road trips and being in the doghouse when I get a phone call in my room, asking me to come cut his hair. He had this really sharp, hard flat top — years before it became cool.
And I would be in there just dead silent and uncomfortable and cutting his hair for 45 minutes. It was torture. If you screwed it up, it seems like you could be penalised...
A lot of pressure. Couldn’t get any worse. I wasn’t playing anyway.
How many minutes did you play?
I am exaggerating. I played for sure and was even a starter for years — off and on. But it was really inconsistent. So there’d be a game where I could play 30 minutes, and the next game you might play three. But it’s good preparation for acting.
How?
In some ways — a real way — the preparation was, in terms of learning how to share and not make everything about you. (It’s about) Knowing that you’re going to win as a result of the effort of your teammates.