Mahershala Ali Talks To Stephen Colbert About Stepping Into The Role Of Blade For The Marvel Cinematic Universe
No matter how revered the actor, even the most seasoned of brilliant thespians have to reflect on the mounting pressure which comes with becoming a part of The Marvel Cinematic Universe. Fans expect a lot from the jump, and for Mahershala Ali, taking on the role of vampire hunter Blade shook him up a bit.
Ali spoke about his trepidation in taking on such an iconic role while talking to The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,
I've never walked into a world where the anticipation is so great. Where people are so familiar with the character, have such strong points of view, and all that. There's clearly an added layer of pressure which... I will embrace.
The role of Blade, considered by some to be the first real Marvel film, given its early success before the canon of the MCU was established - was originally played (in stellar form) by Wesley Snipes. Those are big shoes to fill for sure, and one of the hardest things for Ali was getting the voice correct, given that his very first feature as the character was in a speaking-only role in the stinger scene featured at the end of The Eternals.
You lose a lot of sleep over it. I was losing sleep over this line because ideally, you know, you want to be talking once you are filming," Ali said. "100% of the time, my first day on any set, on any job, I hate it - I hate how I sound, I don't believe myself, y'know. So you're trying to get comfortable in the character, so having to talk without filming was challenging. But I'm grateful for it, because it made it feel real. It's like, okay, now we're going.
With the MCU's track record for comic book movies being what it is, there is little doubt that Mahershala Ali will bring his signature gravitas to the role of Blade, and create a new generation of fanfare for one of the coolest Marvel characters out there.
