Mahershala Ali Talks About Finding Humanity in His Criminal 'Moonlight' Character
Mahershala Ali did not take home the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor, Drama, at this year’s ceremony (that honor, in a surprise, went to Nocturnal Animals’ Aaron Taylor-Johnson), but having already earned more than 30 awards — and counting — for his turn as an unlikely father figure in director Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight, he’s still one of the most feted artists of the year. And when he sat down recently with Yahoo Movies’ Kevin Polowy (watch above), the 42-year-old actor reflected on how his performance was informed by his own personal experiences seeing, and dealing with, wrong-side-of-the-law men like his character.
Related: Meet Barry Jenkins, the Maverick Filmmaker Behind ‘Moonlight’
In the clip above, Ali reveals that it wasn’t particularly difficult for him to relate to Juan, a Florida drug dealer who takes Chiron (played by Alex Hibbert) — a young boy dealing with a drug-addicted mother (Naomie Harris) and struggling to come to terms with his own budding sexuality — under his wing. Growing up, Ali says, he came into contact with men like Juan who were good fathers, or loyal husbands, who had simply happened to get wrapped up in (and incarcerated for) the drug game.
Related: Why Naomie Harris Asked Child Actor to Leave Set During ‘Moonlight’ Outburst Scene
Ali’s comments provide a brief but telling window into the way he approached Juan, and infused him with the sort of complex humanity that ultimately defines every character in Moonlight. You can watch our interview with him above, and see Moonlight in theaters now.
‘Moonlight’: Watch a trailer:
