Mahershala Ali has an impressive resume. Several Oscars. And is just all-around a fantastic actor. While Ali is known for several different roles, his first major one was his role as Tizzy Weathers in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. In a recent interview, Ali talks about getting the part. And almost having to turn it down due to conflicts with his religion.
Ali converted to Islam in 2000 and joined the Ahmadiyya Community. As a result, Ali cannot participate in simulated sex scenes. The actor talks about getting the part in the Benjamin Button film and addressing what he couldn’t do in the film:
“So my old agent called me and said, ‘Mahershala, you got the part.’ And I said, ‘There’s just one thing…There is that one sex scene where they kiss…If there’s a sex scene, I can’t do it’. I don’t do simulated sex.”
Director David Fincher agreed to tame a sex-scene between Ali and Taraji P. Henson’s characters. Ali explained:
“Taraji and I begin to kiss, and we fall out of the frame. It wasn’t clear if [Fincher] was trying to have like some bumping and grinding…which I doubt he was. But for me even…at that time, 15 years ago, I was still like, ‘OK, I can only go up to this point,’ just because of — just trying to hold a space of respect for my religion.”
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was just the start for Ali, who will premiere next as Blade in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Source: Buzzfeed
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