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This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Earlier this season, Rue throws it all back in his face.
I love going to that special episode.
Rue has a choice, and her disease chooses the dark side.
Alis purpose is to be the moral compass and a grounding force for Rue.
But even he has limits.
Hes asking for redemption in his life as well.
Hes saying,If Im expecting this from the world, I must offer it as well.
Youre not onscreen for that scene, but Alis forgiveness and warmth come through the phone.
Zendaya and I sat there and looked at each other, and we played the scene.
I wanted to ensure there was a nice long pause before he says, I forgive you.
Does she really want this?
Is that the usual process for similar scenes youve done on other projects?No!
Usually with film, if youre off-camera, youre doing [the call] with a script supervisor.
But Sam Levinson can feel every detail and wanted it to be that honest.
He wanted to give us that space because he knows connectivity between Ali and Rue is so important.
Did you view that scene in the same way?In every single way.
I thought,This is something Ali needs.
He needs this connection as much as they do.
I think he knew he could be the conduit for that.
But its also something Ali needed.
He knows he can make a difference in some way.
Ali uses the dinner as an opportunity to bond with Rues sister, Gia.
Hes like, Whos taking care of that?
All the energy is going to Rue.
you might be full in your experience as well.
Sam said, Dont be afraid of the silences.
Its okay if you’re gonna wanna take a moment to digest before you react.
There was something really natural happening, so we could really let the scene play out.
He was this cool dude who was that voice of reason for Sam.
And then I listen with no judgment.
One of my greatest resources is Marsha Gambles.
Shes very honest and shes an open book.
When Marsha is there with me and Zendaya, the truth is always in the scene.
It can ground you to do the punch in of work you’re gonna wanna do.
Alis scenes tend to be heavy since hes often dealing with Rue at her worst.
How do you and Zendaya prepare?We both prepare individually and then we come together on set.
Im from the theater and I study a lot.
For the special episode, I rehearsed for at least 120 hours.
In typical episodes, I may put myself through my own rehearsals of 3050 hours for a few scenes.
Then I show up with Zendaya.
We read the scene and were very open with each other.
We dont set a lot of things its a real listen-response exercise.
Ali practices tough love with Rue.
Why do you think he uses that approach?I dont even know if he practices tough love.
Its the only way he understands.
He said, You have to earn love.
Somethings gotta cost you as well and you have to show up for it.
Hes being tough in the way she needs.
He knows you have to be a little tough with kids.
If youre soft, theyll run all over you.
You gotta be tough and hold the line, and thats the way theyll respect you.
Hes the voice of reason she needs.Absolutely.
He knows she showed up to a meeting, so not all is lost.
Shes high, but shes here.
There is a granular amount of hope.
We only see Ali in his interactions with Rue and her family.
I make choices about if hes dating or not.
But because of his past, he also stays to himself a bit.
Were overdue for an Ali backstory.
And I hope it goes back to his childhood so we can unpack that.
We made sure of a few things, like that hes from Philadelphia, where Im from.
It would be an exceptional episode and the audiences are ready for it.
[Laughs]
