LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 08: Actor Mahershala Ali attends the 2016 GQ Men of the Year Party at Chateau Marmont on December 8, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images)
  • Golden Globe Awards

Mahershala Ali, Moonlight -Nominee, Best Performance By An Actor in a Supporting Role In Any Motion Picture

When Juan, a feared drug dealer ruling over a mean corner in a tough Miami neighborhood, comes across a scared, trembling kid in the opening scenes from director Barry JenkinsMoonlight, the audience does not expect the layers of care and tenderness that frame the encounter. The surprise is a credit to Mahershala Ali’s nuanced performance of a character based on the life experiences of playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney, whose stage play inspired the movie. “It just had a strong sense of social relevance—it felt important—and coupled with all that, the character was one that just really spoke to me”, Ali told Deadline. “Up to that point, I hadn’t read something that was that well written, and a character that was just so clear and alive, and multi-dimensional on the page”. This is Mahershala Ali’s first nomination.