Staying fit is all in a day’s work for Mahershala Ali.
While his role in Jurassic World Rebirth required him to be in top physical form, the two-time Oscar winner explained that maintaining his mental wellness was just as important to him while making the upcoming blockbuster.
“It was really about being able to emotionally sustain this journey more than anything,” he exclusively told E! News’ Erin Lim Rhodes at the film’s premiere in New York City June 23. “I got on the bike every day, or did my little curls, my little workout, but it was really [about] sustaining the feeling of being terrorized by these things over the course of four months. That was the tough part.”
Fortunately for the 51-year-old, who attended the red carpet affair alongside costars Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend and more, the sequel’s international filming locations offered him plenty of options to help him relax when cameras weren’t rolling.
“We were in Thailand, and then we were in Malta, and London was pretty great too,” he continued. “We were in some wonderful locations, so it was easy to shake things off.”
And while the actor—who shares daughter Bari Najma, 8, with wife Amatus Sami-Karim—was far from home during the extensive shoot, he pointed out that being away from his day-to-day life helped him bond with his castmates.
“What I think was a little bit different was being out of it all,” he shared. “I’ve shot a lot domestically, but being out in such a special place like Thailand led to us having this feeling of being at a summer camp together.”
Jurassic World Rebirth opens in theatres July 2. To see all the stars who attended the film’s New York premiere, keep scrolling.
(E! and Universal Pictures are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
Scarlett Johansson
Jonathan Bailey
Mahershala Ali
Rupert Friend
Brianna LaPaglia
Ed Skrein
Luna Blaise
David Iacono
Scarlett Johansson & Colin Jost
Bechir Sylvain
Audrina Miranda
Manuel Garcia-Rulfo
Philippine Velge
Erin Lim Rhodes
Frank Marshall, Manuel García-Rulfo, Luna Blaise, David Iacono, Audrina Miranda, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Scarlett Johansson, Gareth Edwards, Rupert Friend, Bechir Sylvain, Philippine Velge, Ed Skrein & Patrick Crowley
Patrick Crowley, Manuel García-Rulfo, David Iacono, Audrina Miranda, Gareth Edwards, Bechir Sylvain, Philippine Velge & Frank Marshall
Aimee Mullins & Rupert Friend
