In his new film, Swan Song, Mahershala Alidoubled his screen time by playing two roles — a dying man and the clone he creates as a replacement for his family. It’s a device we’ve often seen in comedy films (think Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers, or the great Peter Sellers), but using it in a drama presented a lot of interesting challenges for the two-time Academy Award winner. As Ali told us, to get everything right required a lot of patience, communication, and teamwork between himself, director Benjamin Cleary, and his castmates. (Click on the media bar below to hear Mahershala Ali)