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17 Feb 2026 14:29
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  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Mahershala Ali admitted the idea of cloning himself is "tempting"

    The 47-year-old actor - who has four-year-old daughter Bari with wife Amatus Sami-Karim - can next be seen in sci-fi drama 'Swan Song' as a terminally ill family man who decides to replace himself with a carbon copy without telling his loved ones, and he can understand why the idea was so appealing to his character.


    Asked on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' if he'd consider cloning himself, he said: "It's very tempting. I certainly hope that I'm not in that position, but just knowing myself - this is a very difficult question - but I would lean towards the natural order of things, but I absolutely get why this opportunity is so attractive to my character.

    "You know, it's hard to answer without the entire context of what his wife is dealing with as well. But it would be very tempting I gotta say if that were our reality right now."

    The Oscar-winning actor recently admitted he "enjoyed" the "challenge" of playing two characters in the movie and making sure they were very "distinct" from one another.

    He said: "I wanted to be sure they felt distinct and that there were subtle differences that I hoped would collectively add up and read as two different characters.

    "The main way in which that was done was in being very clear about who was in power...

    "It was emotional and challenging, but once I was finished, I could say that it was enjoyable. It felt like we accomplished something that I'd never done as an actor. It felt new."

    Mahershala was excited about the premise of the film as soon as he read the script.

    He said: "As an actor, you get excited by scenarios that feel a little bit impossible. You're like, 'How is this going to work?'"

    © 2026 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

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