Mahershala Ali calls himself an action hero at 52 with new thriller
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The gist
Two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali said he is "finally an action hero at age 52" with Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother.
The film puts the Moonlight star in a hitman role after his Blade reboot was scrapped.
Background
Mahershala Ali is a two-time Oscar winner (Moonlight and Green Book) and former college basketball player who moved into acting in 2000. In Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, directed by Bassam Tariq, he plays Latif, a devout Muslim hitman-for-hire who must protect his three children after their mother dies. The film follows the scrapping of Ali's Marvel live-action debut as Blade, which Tariq was set to direct; Ali said he had long wanted an action career but kept playing "emotionally intellectual characters, very soft and centred." He discussed the project during a Screen Talk at the 70th BFI London Film Festival.
How it unfolded
- Oct 17, 2026At a BFI London Film Festival Screen Talk, Ali discussed his career and the new thriller, said he keeps his two Oscars in a cabinet out of his sightline, and teared up recalling the dinner-table scene in Moonlight.
- Oct 19, 2026Yahoo News Canada reported that Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother is now in theatres.
- Oct 21, 2026Ali told Metro at the festival he is "finally an action hero at age 52" with the film.
Who’s saying what
- Support
- Ali said the action itch "was definitely scratched" in a way he couldn't have imagined, and that the film "is singular" and could live on its drama even without the violence.
- Caution
- Ali said his earlier action roles ended with his character's death "in both," which "would always be really disappointing."
- Expert
- Ali said the film's fight choreography is "really more like dance than what people realize."