Mahershala Ali has explained why winning two Academy Awards did not bring the personal fulfillment he expected. Speaking at the BFI London Film Festival on October 17, 2026, the actor reflected on his career, his approach to portraying underrepresented characters, and the challenges behind some of his most demanding roles.
In a Screen Talk session reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Ali revealed that his Oscars for Moonlight and Green Book are kept in a cabinet because he wanted to focus on his craft rather than his achievements.
“This is going to sound crazy. They’re in a cabinet,”
Ali said, explaining that he moved the awards out of sight to return his attention to acting.
He also distinguished recognition from personal satisfaction, saying,
“I felt a sense of accomplishment, which is not fulfillment.”
WHY ALI WANTS TO PORTRAY UNDERREPRESENTED CHARACTERS
Ali also discussed his approach to Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, in which he plays Latif, a devout Muslim and contract killer who tries to protect his three children after his wife dies. The existential crime thriller, written and directed by Bassam Tariq, also features John Cho and explores faith, family, and justice.
Ali described his work as an effort to make audiences understand people whose experiences are often overlooked.
“I think I am naturally attracted to things that feel really unique,”
he said, adding that “humanizing” such characters remains central to his work.
He connected this approach to Moonlight, the 2016 drama that earned him his first Oscar. Ali said he was grateful for opportunities to give depth to people who are not always treated as fully human or worthy of attention on screen.
ALI REFLECTS ON GREEN BOOK BACKLASH AND TRUE DETECTIVE
The actor also addressed the mixed response to Green Book, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture but faced criticism over its historical portrayal and the Shirley family’s account of their involvement. Ali said he still stands by the film and the experience, while acknowledging that the backlash was difficult.
“I stand by the work,”
he said during the discussion, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. He recalled briefly feeling like a “golden boy” before facing intense criticism, describing the experience as a complicated lesson.
Ali also remembered the demanding production of True Detective season three, where he portrayed detective Wayne Hays at different stages of his life. Playing the older version required lengthy makeup sessions and exhausting filming days. “I almost went crazy doing that part,” he recalled, describing weeks that could stretch to 80 hours.
Ali is now working on the second season of HBO’s crime drama Task, starring Mark Ruffalo. Looking back on his career, he said he feels “exhausted for the right reasons” and believes he is only beginning to reach the fulfillment he has been seeking.
