Mahershala Ali seen jumping rope behind the scenes of ‘Task’ in Manayunk
Filming for the second season of the HBO series has begun in the Philadelphia area. The 'Moonlight' actor was seen taking a break wearing a Phillies hat.
Mahershala Ali is staying warmed up amid filming for Season 2 of the HBO series Task.
The Oscar-winning actor was spotted on Grape Street in Manayunk, jumping rope between scenes. Wearing a gray polo shirt, blue jeans, and a Phillies hat, Ali seemed to be getting in quick exercise while the Task crew set up equipment behind him, according to a video posted to the Roxborough Rants & Raves Facebook group on Tuesday.
The video was posted by Facebook user Trevor D’Arcy, a Doylestown native, per the social media profile.
The second season of the Mark Ruffalo-led, Delco-set series has been filming in the area since Monday. Ruffalo will be reprising his role as FBI agent Tom Brandis while Ali will be playing a longtime Philadelphia DEA agent named Eddie Barnes. Barnes will reportedly rival Ruffalo’s efforts in his new task force.
The first season was filmed in the Greater Philadelphia region, with the production team having deep Philly roots. Executive producer Jeremiah Zagar is a South Philly native, and is the son of the late Philadelphia mosaicist Isaiah Zagar.
The show’s creator Brad Ingelsby resides in Berwyn, where he was born and raised.
Ali grew up in Oakland, Calif., but his wife, Amatus-Sami Karim, spent part of her childhood in Philadelphia. Ali, raised Christian, converted to Islam after attending a prayer at a Philadelphia mosque with Karim and her mother, according to People.
“I converted Dec. 31, 1999. It was a Friday. That was my second time going to the mosque,” Ali said to Kansas City NPR affiliate KCUR in 2017. “I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with her … and I just had such a strong reaction to the prayer.”
In 2017, Ali became the first Muslim actor to win the Academy Award for best supporting actor, for his role in Moonlight. He won the same award two years later for Green Book.
Task is Ali’s second HBO venture after the third season of True Detective, where he played Arkansas State Police Detective, Wayne Hays. He was most recently seen in Jurassic World: Rebirth.
No premiere date for Season 2 of Task has been announced.
This article has been updated to include Mahershala Ali’s wife, Amatus-Sami Karim, and details about her connection to Philadelphia.