Wayne David Hays is a fictional character in the third season of the anthology crime drama television series True Detective on HBO. The character was created by series creator Nic Pizzolatto and is portrayed by Mahershala Ali. Hays was originally slated to be portrayed by a white actor while Ali was ready to play a supporting role. Ali was praised for his performance for which he received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie.