Episode notes

(Photo: Universal Pictures)

Riz Ahmed is, of course, the Academy Award-nominated star of The Sound of Metal. You might’ve also seen him in Jason Bourne,  Nightcrawler, The Night Of, or the hilarious satire Four Lions. Ahmed is also a rapper. A good one! Better than you would think when you hear “actor who is also a rapper.” He’s released two full-length LPs, including 2020’s The Long Goodbye.

Ahmed is at an interesting point in his career. When he was last on the show in 2016, he’d just shot a couple of his biggest breakthrough roles, including one in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. A few months shy of becoming a household name. A decade on, and he’s firmly on the A-List.  

Ahmed’s latest movie is Hamlet. A contemporary retelling of one of the most retold stories of all time. It’s thrilling. He’s also got a new show out called Bait, in which he plays a hot up-and-coming actor who gets the chance to audition for the role of James Bond.

Riz Ahmed returns to the show to chat with us about his role in the new Hamlet film and his personal relationship with Shakespeare’s work. We also get into his early days as a battle rapper and if he plans to keep rapping as he gets older.