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Mahershala Ali always thought he would have an action-packed career. Almost three decades later – he’s finally living out his dream.
When the former college basketball player turned two-time Oscar winner pivoted to acting in 2000, he ‘mistakenly assumed’ his career would be filled with daring stunts, explosive sequences and thrilling plots that put their foot on the gas and didn’t let up.
Instead, he found himself playing ’emotionally intellectual characters, very soft and centred, with some wise ones tucked in there, but never too threatening and violent per se,’ as the 52-year-old actor told Metro during the BFI London Film Festival.
An action-packed career always seemed just out of reach, dangled like a carrot just shy of his fingertips. This year alone, his Marvel live-action debut as the action hero Blade was put on ice in yet another passing ship.
‘In the couple of times I was cast in things that have action inherently in them, like the Mockingjay films or Predators, my character’s death in both sparks the action. So that would always be really disappointing,’ he reflected.
He would push himself to deliver great work in the hopes ‘they would write it differently, and I would live longer’. ‘Clearly, I didn’t do enough,’ he said in good humour.
His time has come, however, in the form of Bassam Tariq’s critically acclaimed thriller, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, which follows religiously devout hitman-for-hire Latif (Ali) who must protect his three children from danger after the death of their mother.
For the Moonlight star, it’s exactly what he’s been hankering for.
‘To say that I have wanted to do action would definitely be an understatement,’ he added.
‘That itch was definitely scratched in a way that I honestly couldn’t have imagined and couldn’t have written myself.’
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In fact, it feels almost like serendipity that this long-awaited project fell into his lap.
‘What I love about this is that I think this film is singular. You could remove the violence and the action sequences, and this film could live purely on that.
‘But then you add the hitman-for-hire element to it, and someone so passionate about justice – however flawed his view may or may not be – and you come out with something heightenedly unique.
‘So that itch was definitely scratched in a way that I honestly couldn’t have imagined and couldn’t have written myself.’
And with a natural proclivity for staged combat and training for the doomed Blade already under his belt, his skills were undeniable on set, as co-star John Cho, who shares multiple sequences with him as Latif’s antagonist, revealed.
‘I hadn’t seen the climax fight. There’s so many people, and I had no idea how extravagant that was gonna be. I was just watching Mahershala have to do this choreography, and he’s using both his arms and turning around on a Steadicam, so he couldn’t cheat. I just remember being so impressed,’ he recalled with a sense of awe.
‘What happens after you shout: “We belong”. Then what? What else are you doing?
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At the heart of this story is a ritualistically faithful Muslim man, but his belief is tested beyond all measure by this sudden grief, which turns his life upside down.
As a man raised in the Christian faith and who later converted to Islam, for Ali, Latif’s relationship with religion makes this movie relatable to more than just Muslims.
‘This guy could be Buddhist, he could be Christian, he could be Hindu, he happens to be Muslim, and our job, whether we are Muslim or not, is to humanise this guy and to tell a story that we hope can resonate with everyone through how personal it is.
‘Because the more personal, the more universal.’
Although this movie flips Muslim representation on its head for the genre and presents us with a flawed but devoted family man as opposed to a conniving terrorist threatening the American way of life, there’s much more to it than just that.
Both Ali and Tariq believe representation for its own sake is not enough; there has to be more meat to the story to make it meaningful. If anything, as Tariq put it: ‘Muslim stuff aside, [the action] just kicks ass.’
One character who shines through as a sign of the times is Pastor Hwan (Cho), a cult-like Church leader who has his followers enthralled by his persona.
Cho hopes his character and the arc he goes on can resonate with our side of the pond, as we watch a Trump-led USA continue to tear itself apart and plant pockets of extremism.
‘To see the response, I’m really surprised by how people are so willing to be on the journey with us for this movie
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He said: ‘I know you guys are probably watching what’s happening in the US, and like: “What’s going on over there?” You’re probably getting one kind of story a lot. This is also happening.’
This role felt more personal than ever for Cho, who was a Korean immigrant to Houston and grew up in church.
The entire movie, from its unique premise to bold characters and unflinching sociopolitical commentary, was a gamble to put out into the world – but it’s not one Tariq regrets. All he has is gratitude for everything coming together.
‘To see the response, I’m really surprised by how people are so willing to be on the journey with us for this movie. That is also a testament to the acting, the craft of the story, some of those things are undeniable.’
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother premiered at BFI London Film Festival. It will arrive in UK cinemas on November 20, 2026.