When Mahershala Ali was coming of age in the Bay Area in the ‘80s, black superheroes existed only in the margins. At 42, Ali would’ve never imagined seeing a black superhero in a lead role, let alone playing alongside one in Marvel’s upcoming Netflix series Luke Cage.
Despite the sixteen years of steady work in Hollywood under his belt, Ali is not yet a household name. Like his House of Cards character Remy Danton, Ali possesses a subdued intensity. He is meticulous with his words but never a bore. Dressed in a crisp white button-down, he talks about thwarting his NBA plans for a career where he’s paid to embody characters like he does in Free State of Jones, Moonlight, Hidden Figures, and of course his debut as Marvel’s Cottonmouth, the Harlem drug kingpin Luke Cage (Michael Colter) wants to destroy. Cottonmouth may not be the black superhero absent from Ali’s childhood, but for those searching for themselves in a complicated character who looks like them, playing a superhero’s foil means just as much.
We caught up with Ali in New York City to chat about his House of Cards fate, music playlists, and what makes him feel sexy.
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