ABC/Ida Mae Astute(LOS ANGELES) — Mahershala Ali admits he owes a large part of his current to success to his time on House of Cards. The actor, who’s leaving the Netflix political drama, says he’s “extremely grateful” for his role on the hit series, but believes he had move on to in order to “fulfill my own dreams and aspirations as an actor.”
Ali, who won an Oscar this year for Moonlight and received his first Emmy nomination for his portrayal of D.C. lobbyist Remy Denton, tells ABC Radio, “I owe everything I’m doing right now to my time on that show because I’ve been working twelve years up ’til that point really consistently,” but adds, “I really wasn’t doing anything that was resonating with the people who get you your next big job.”
So, after the fourth season, Mahershala made the decision to leave, saying “it was time.”
“I just want to do more,” he explains. “You know? That’s it, and they understood it and were super gracious about it.”
Mahershala also notes that those who signed on for the series were, “really there to service the larger story” of Frank and Claire Underwood, played by Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, respectively. But he’s grateful for his time on the show.
“That show is a huge step forward to me being able to fulfill my own dreams and aspirations as an actor because I come with my own particular set of circumstances and challenges for me to even be in that position,” he says. “So I’m super grateful for my time there.”
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Mahershala Ali admits he owes a large part of his current to success to his time on House of Cards. The actor, who’s leaving the Netflix political drama, says he’s “extremely grateful” for his role on the hit series, but believes he had move on to in order to “fulfill my own dreams and aspirations as an actor.”
Ali, who won an Oscar this year for Moonlight and received his first Emmy nomination for his portrayal of D.C. lobbyist Remy Denton, tells ABC Radio, “I owe everything I’m doing right now to my time on that show because I’ve been working twelve years up ’til that point really consistently,” but adds, “I really wasn’t doing anything that was resonating with the people who get you your next big job.”
So, after the fourth season, Mahershala made the decision to leave, saying “it was time.”
“I just want to do more,” he explains. “You know? That’s it, and they understood it and were super gracious about it.”
Mahershala also notes that those who signed on for the series were “really there to service the larger story” of Frank and Claire Underwood, played by Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, respectively. But he’s grateful for his time on the show.
“That show is a huge step forward to me being able to fulfill my own dreams and aspirations as an actor because I come with my own particular set of circumstances and challenges for me to even be in that position,” he says. “So I’m super grateful for my time there.”