When Juan, a feared drug dealer ruling over a mean corner in a tough Miami neighborhood, comes across a scared, trembling kid in the opening scenes from director Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight, the audience does not expect the layers of care and tenderness that frame the encounter. The surprise is a credit to Mahershala Ali’s nuanced performance of a character based on the life experiences of playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney, whose stage play inspired the movie. “It just had a strong sense of social relevance—it felt important—and coupled with all that, the character was one that just really spoke to me”, Ali told Deadline. “Up to that point, I hadn’t read something that was that well written, and a character that was just so clear and alive, and multi-dimensional on the page”. This is Mahershala Ali’s first nomination.