Mahershala Ali

I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with [my wife] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in…

— Mahershala Ali

I grew up in church. My mom's a minister, and my grandmother was an ordained minister. I was always very mindful of…

— Mahershala Ali

Like so many families, we were dealing with limited means. We weren't poor at all, but we had some challenging times financially.…

— Mahershala Ali

I think how strict my mother's home could be with my mom and my stepfather, there was a fluidity and freedom in…

— Mahershala Ali

My mother is an ordained minister. I'm a Muslim. She didn't do backflips when I called her to tell her I converted…

— Mahershala Ali

My experiences growing up - my father lived in New York, so I was going out there in the summers and meeting…

— Mahershala Ali

I'm not shy about trying to find what truth there is in any genre, whether that be an action piece, a sci-fi…

— Mahershala Ali

You are an American, so you're hurt that other American citizens have been hurt, but you end up having to shoulder the…

— Mahershala Ali

My parents were in high school when I was born. My mom was 16, my dad was 17. They were kids, at…

— Mahershala Ali

Because on that watch list, they would be like, yeah, your name - they told me like, yeah, your name matches the…

— Mahershala Ali

I started traveling by myself as early as 5 to see my dad. I'd go to Toronto or Los Angeles, depending on…

— Mahershala Ali

One thing that the audience, and perhaps critics, aren't aware of is that, especially in a film like 'Moonlight,' you always shoot…

— Mahershala Ali

I think in some ways, I would go back home, and I didn't really quite fit in and couldn't - didn't have…

— Mahershala Ali

I remember clearly, when I was about 4, my Aunt Linda said, 'I'm not babysitting him no more. He's bad.' It was…

— Mahershala Ali

Theater will cast in a more open way; Denzel Washington might play Richard III. Television and film don't really cast openly like…

— Mahershala Ali

How do I transform and be believable as Krogstad in "A Doll's House" or Sir Peter Teazle in "A School for Scandal".

— Mahershala Ali

I got into [acting] so late because of sports. And then when I was in grad school, I sort of got lulled…

— Mahershala Ali

I feel like [terrorism] acts are un-Islamic. So to see that happen and somebody do that in the name of God, it…

— Mahershala Ali

I didn't have the passion for athletics in that way, that there were other parts of me that felt under-served and that…

— Mahershala Ali

I remember after 9/11, I started - I was working quite a bit in Vancouver. And then I realized I would go…

— Mahershala Ali

It felt, like, so far from - or far enough from the reality of things that we can enjoy it purely as…

— Mahershala Ali

Again, having - fortunately having never been in trouble. And eventually I found out that I was on a watch list.

— Mahershala Ali

Oakland, by far, is really gorgeous; it still has these pockets that are really dangerous. Certain things are kind of normal. I…

— Mahershala Ali

I do believe in the potential of like-minded people coming together.

— Mahershala Ali

I had gone to - that was my second time going to the mosque. And then at that time we met [with…

— Mahershala Ali