All round
Mahershala Ali reveals he refused to do s-x scenes because of his religion
Because of a s-x scene in the script, Mahershala Ali almost rejected one of his first major parts in David Fincher’s 2008 film “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Ali claimed on an edition of Common’s podcast Mind Power Mixtape that he declined to execute a planned s-x scene in the David Fincher picture with his costar Taraji P. Henson due to his Islamic beliefs. “I don’t do simulated s-x,” Ali, an Ahmadi Muslim, told his agency at the time.
“I get a call from my old agent, and she goes, ‘Mahershala, you got it, you got it, you booked the part,’” he remembered. “And I could believe it. I was so excited. But then I said, ‘There’s just one thing … there is that one s-x scene, there’s that scene where they kiss. I was like, ‘If there’s a s-x scene, I can’t do it.’”
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images
The film’s director, David Fincher, appeared to agree to his conditions because the s-x scene between Ali’s character Tizzy Weathers and his love interest Queenie, played by Taraji P Henson, was chopped in the final edit of the film, leaving particular specifics to the audience’s imagination.
Trending:
“Taraji and I begin to kiss, and we fall out of the frame… ,” he said. “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.”
Ali made history by being the first Muslim actor to receive an Academy Award for his supporting role in the film Moonlight in 2017.
That same year, when winning his first Screen Actors Guild award, he spoke about his religion.
“My mother is an ordained minister. I’m a Muslim. She didn’t do backflips when I told her I converted 17 years ago,” he said. But, he added, “I’m able to see her. She’s able to see me. We love each other … and that stuff is minutiae.”
Ali recently appeared in season 2 of Hulu’s Ramy as a Muslim religious leader. Ali told EW, “Getting to show a Sheikh and religious leader who feels like a real human was really important to me.”
Mank, Fincher’s new film on the making of Citizen Kane, is now available on Netflix.
Popular Posts:
- Queen’s damning reply to Prince Harry’s ‘what Meghan wants, Meghan gets’ outburst
- Here’s Why Meghan Markle Cannot File Harry Divorce In US
- Meghan Markle ‘escorted out of Prince Charles’ garden party’ in unearthed video
- Here’s Why Meghan Markle Cannot File Harry Divorce In US
- Prince Harry ‘kept asking for more money’ and Prince Charles got ‘fed up’
- Prince Charles ‘deliberately’ left Meghan out of Archie’s birthday message
- Prince Harry and Meghan ‘blamed staff when they didn’t get their way’
- Prince Harry has been ‘brainwashed’, says biographer
- Meghan Markle blogged about Kate’s wedding before claiming she ‘didn’t know much about royals’
- REVENGE: Beatrice’s pregnancy announcement total dig at Meghan Markle
- Damage is done: Prince Harry warned rift with Prince Charles is widening beyond repair
- Meghan Markle Oprah interview claims debunked by own blog post
- Prince Harry faces Backlash for podcast interview, Duke ‘making too much noise’
- Queen and Charles deeply upset with Harry’s rants
- Harry and Meghan are ‘trolling the world’ with hidden photos Archie, says their biographer
- Prince Harry Demands wife Meghan Markle Be Part Of Princess Diana’s 60th Birthday Tribute Or He Won’t Show
- Harry and Meghan are ‘trolling the world’ with hidden photos Archie, says their biographer
- Meghan Markle’s Plastic Surgery
- Meghan and Harry CAN’T do another bombshell interview – ‘Can only do one’
- How Kate Middleton earned the Queen’s respect
- William and Kate prove they are NOT ‘trapped’ despite Harry claims
- Kate Middleton ‘won’t be walked over by Meghan Markle,’ says Jenny Eclair
- Meghan ‘wasn’t too keen’ on living in smaller place than Kate and William after royal wedding
- Meghan Markle was a ‘failure’ in Hollywood, biographer reveals
- Meghan and Harry are trying to start ‘alternate woke Royal Family,’ Expert says
