Mahershala Ali chooses roles which "align" with his "consciousness".
The ‘Moonlight’ star has revealed how he picks movies, which are a "natural outgrowth of how he tries to live his life".
He told Entertainment Tonight: "I think my choices are just a natural outgrowth of how I try to live my life. I try to be conscious of my diet holistically, whether it’s the actual food you put in the body or what it is that you’re watching. So when I read projects of when I find myself drawn to something it’s really pretty much in alignment with a larger consciousness that I try to live with."
Meanwhile, Mahershala previously revealed he believes his Islamic faith has made him a better actor as it helps him relate to his characters better.
He explained: "It benefits me from the standpoint of really creating empathy for these characters that I try to embody, other human beings with issues as deep and personal as my own. Because of Islam, I am acutely aware that I am a work in progress. [The daily practice] puts a healthy pressure on you to be your best self, beginning with your own spirit and how that feeds into your actions."
And the ‘Green Book’ star also admitted he has always tried to make himself appear "smaller" in order to put other people at ease in his presence.
He said: "I think I identify with characters who have to make themselves smaller. Because that’s been my experience, as a large black man, to make people feel safer. Just because I always found witnessing other people’s discomfort made me uncomfortable. And at the end of the day, it’s a lot of BS too. Sometimes you gotta be like, ‘Eff that.’"