A late bloomer, but he does absolute justice to all his characters
Actor and rapper Mahershala Ali began his acting career on television series like Crossing Jordan and Threat Matrix in the 2000s. However, his breakthrough role came with the character of Richard Tyler in the science fiction series The 4400, and he rose to fame. As for the movies, Mahershala Ali's breakthrough movie role came with director David Fincher's major film of the century, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. And soon, he gained widespread popularity. Here are some of Mahershala Ali’s best movies to watch.
Alita: Battle Angel
This 2019 cyberpunk action film is based on Japanese manga artist YukitoKishiro's 1990s series Battle Angel Alita. The film stars Rosa Salazar as Alita - a cyborg one day wakes up in a new body with absolutely no memory of her past and then sets out in the unknown to uncover her life and destiny. The film also stars Jennifer Connelly, Christoph Waltz, and Ed Skrein, besides Mahershala Ali. Mahershala Ali as Vector plays the role of one of Alita’s biggest enemies. The tricky part is that his character is basically just a puppet in the main villain, Nova's plan, wherein he sometimes takes control over Vector's body.
Hidden Figures
This 2016 biographical drama film by director Theodore Melfi is said to be loosely based on the 2016 non-fiction book of the same name by author Margot Lee Shetterly. The story is about African American female mathematicians who worked at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) during the Space Race. While the three African women were played by actors Taraji P. Henson as Katherine Johnson, Octavia Spencer as Dorothy Vaughan, and Janelle Monae as Mary Jackson. Mahershala Ali plays the role of Jim Johnson, Katherine's love interest, who eventually turns to be her husband. Though he has limited scenes, his character played a pivotal role which brings a positive change.
Mahershala Ali receives multiple accolades like the Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, a BAFTA award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. The 47-year-old actor was also named one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2019 by Time magazine. His other television series is True Detective, Luke Cage, and House of Cards, for which he received his first Primetime Emmy Award nomination. His films are Moonlight, Green Book, Eternals, and The Hunger Games film series.
