{"id":144282,"date":"2024-02-16T09:00:35","date_gmt":"2024-02-16T14:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/?p=144282"},"modified":"2024-02-15T06:56:08","modified_gmt":"2024-02-15T11:56:08","slug":"happy-birthday-mahershala-ali","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/?p=144282","title":{"rendered":"“I’m not shy about trying to find what truth there is in any genre, whether that be an action piece, a sci-fi piece, a small indie film, or a play. I’m open to it all.” — Mahershala Ali"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nIt’s his birthday today. <\/p>\n

I so respect his work in Hidden Figures<\/i>, where he plays “support staff” to Taraji Henson. <\/p>\n

Some thoughts on actors’ understanding of storytelling functions and how they fit into stories:<\/p>\n

Actors are storytellers, and they understand FUNCTION more than regular civilian type people understand it. <\/p>\n

When Harrison Ford came and spoke at my school, he answered each question about any given role in terms of story. He understood his FUNCTION in Star Wars<\/em>, he understood his FUNCTION in Working Girl<\/em>. Two totally different functions. Know what movie you’re in. In the DVD extras for ’42<\/em>, Harrison Ford spoke all about function, how his character fit into the story, and how far he wanted to go with his characterization, in order to highlight the real purpose of the story – which was Jackie Robinson. There’s a lack of ego in this kind of work. If you’re the star – like in Air Force One<\/em> – you will bring your A-List Star Power to bear, because that role’s function requires it. But in Working Girl<\/em>, he was second-banana to Melanie Griffith. In essence, he played the stereotypical “feminine” role. He knew that and embraced it (even down to the scene where he strips down in his office and all the secretaries ogle.)<\/p>\n

I’m fascinated by Ali’s understanding of function.<\/p>\n

Hidden Figures<\/i> came out the same year as Moonlight<\/i>. In Moonlight<\/i>, in his Oscar-winning role, he also played “support staff,” but it required different things from him than in Hidden Figures<\/i>. He’s so central to Moonlight<\/i> it’s almost a lead role.<\/p>\n

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\nIn Hidden Figures<\/i>, he plays a romantic figure, a potential mate for Taraji Henson. There’s complexity in the role. He goofs up in their first interaction. He doesn’t know how to deal with a mathematician woman. He’s never even heard of such a thing. His sexism comes out. It’s beyond his control. (Ali does this so well. He does it in a way that lets you know that this is not a bad man. This is a man of his time, as we all are people of our own time.)<\/p>\n

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