What will, and should, Mahershala Ali do next?

Following a prestigious award season, a career-making Oscar win for Best Supporting Actor, and limitless possibilities for his next roles, what is next for Mahershala Ali?

It seems almost redundant and cliché at this point to say that Mahershala Ali is a man of many talents. That isn’t to imply that he’s also secretly a musician, or that he’s actually really good at Kevin Spacey impressions, even though I would believe literally either of those. Instead, he’s an actor with formidable range in terms of what roles he can play, and one of the hidden gems that’s been patiently waiting to shine in TV and film for the past several years.

Before Moonlight, most might know Ali from his roles as Remy Danton on House of Cards or the villain, Cottonmouth, on the first season of Luke Cage. With the popularity of Netflix continuously rising, Ali’s roles on two of the network’s most noteworthy shows has allowed us to see one of the most poised, suave, and frankly, coolest actors around. His role as Remy was scene stealing on House of Cards, but not in the sense that the show ever gave him a passionate monologue to deliver or an emotional breakdown of any kind. Rather, every time he came on screen we couldn’t take our eyes off of him. He had all the characteristics of a movie star stuck in a supporting role. He was George Clooney on ER, and we were just waiting for him to figure out he was bigger than the show around him.

Inversely, Ali’s biggest moment to this date was his role in Moonlight, and more specifically the scene that most likely won the Oakland native his first Oscar. In the closing scene of the film’s first act, Ali’s character, Juan, sits at the table with the youngest version of our main character, Chiron. Chiron asks Juan, frankly, to explain a homosexual slur that he had heard at school. This leads to further conversation between them about Chiron’s sexuality and at what point should he know if he’s gay or not. Juan compassionately responds that Chiron will know when it’s time.

However, this connection is lost when Chiron asks a shamefully silent Juan if he sells drugs, and if Chiron’s mother also does drugs, drawing the connection between dealer and addict; Juan nods in silence, head held low. As Chiron gets up and walks away in disgust, it is the expression of sheer guilt and regret on Juan’s face as the scene cuts to black that brought Mahershala Ali his Academy Award. He didn’t win because of his words or because of the confidence he had displayed earlier in the movie, like many of his other roles. He won because of his ability to act in silence, and that is something many in Ali’s profession will never be able to do.

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So, here he is, on the precipice of stardom with any number of potential projects at his fingertips. Yet, the question remains not only what will Mahershala Ali do next, but what should he do next to capitalize on his enormous potential?…

What will he do next?

According to E! News, Ali really only has one major project lined up at the moment, and that is Alita: Battle Angel.

"The legendary James Cameron is penning the screenplay with Shutter Island’s Laeta Kalogridis, which will combine the first four books of Yukito Kishiro’s series of manga books. The film tells the story of a female cyborg in the 26th century who just barely avoids the scrap pile when she is rescued by a curious scientist."

Not much else is known about the film other than it looks like Robert Rodriguez is set to direct, and the film will also star the likes of Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, and Michelle Rodriguez.

A big-budget action movie is, more than likely, a smart move for Ali. Fresh off an award for a ridiculously cheap, and moderately seen movie in Moonlight, Ali wouldn’t be the first actor to then cash in with a fat check on a big film. It’d be well deserved. A movie like Alita: Battle Angel not only allows an actor of his caliber to be paired with other big names in the industry like James Cameron, Robert Rodriguez, and Christoph Waltz, but it also works as another big boost in his notoriety as an actor. As someone who knows literally zero about manga, the project sounds interesting and let’s hope that it’s done with the precision of a big, blockbuster hit in the realm of Pacific Rim.

What should he do?

This, to me, is the more interesting question, strictly because Mahershala Ali seems talented enough to pull off several roles. As much as I enjoyed seeing him as the villain in Luke Cage, and the only person worthy of interest in that show as well, a protagonist role seems just as natural. His character of Cottonmouth, on the surface, was violent and cruel, but Ali’s depth as an actor in conveying his fear and insecurity as an enforcer was enough proof to me that something like a gritty crime drama protagonist might be the move to make. He has the range to play either side of the law, but if executed by the right director with a taste for the genre, such a Michael Mann type, Ali’s fame could rise even faster.

I think it would also suit Mahershala Ali quite nice to find another role in a movie similar to Moonlight without having to sacrifice too much with the movie being too small. For as successful as Moonlight was, it was, objectively, a small miracle for some of the actors Barry Jenkins and company managed to get, and it would be pretty surprising to see Ali in such a small film again. However, that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t pursue more indie films, and especially ones Barry Jenkins could be attached to. The two of them clearly have some chemistry together as director and actor, and another pairing would be another potential hay-maker of a film.

It would also be nice to see Ali strut some of his comedic chops a little bit. That isn’t to say that any of his roles have been particularly funny, but he does strike me as one of the most likable and easy-going actors of his generation. Jon Hamm, although serious to the point of frustration on Mad Men, found an entirely new lane of work through small cameos and roles in comedic movies and TV shows, and I see that same sort of talent in Ali’s possession.

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Whatever Mahershala Ali ultimately decides to pursue has a high likelihood at being great. For the most part, every role he’s taken has either managed to shine despite the bigger names above him, or it managed to raise otherwise sub-par material to another level because of how good he is. He’s one of the freshest faces in Hollywood, with the potential of a true movie star, and we just can’t wait to see what he does next.

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