Riz Ahmed
Riz Ahmed
Rizwan "Riz" Ahmed, also known as Riz MC, is an English actor and rapper. He is known for his acclaimed work in films such as The Road to Guantanamo, Shifty, Four Lions, Trishna, Ill Manors and Nightcrawler...
NationalityBritish
ProfessionMovie Actor
Date of Birth1 December 1982
labels multiple round slip tries trying
I'm always trying to slip out of those labels everyone tries to put round your neck. We all have multiple selves.
best fit people trying worried
I'm not trying to project any persona. Often people don't know where to put me. I don't fit comfortably under banners, and that's fine. I'm not worried about not making sense to people. That's probably my best asset.
people trying acting
The music I make and the process of acting, for me, are both about trying to understand people and get inside what makes us tick. That's the main thing that excites me. Our sense of who we really are and what drives us.
What's interesting about the U.K. is that it celebrates an alternative voice. It's up for telling new stories.
exactly releasing
The fact is, I've been releasing records longer than I've been releasing films, or at least exactly as long.
across classes films grown insider liked music naturally outsider puts terms
In terms of negotiating a career - I've always grown up being an insider and an outsider to different worlds, across different classes and cultures, so I have always naturally liked making films or music that puts things in unexpected places.
lots narrow nor played range work
I don't feel that any kind of narrow stereotypes are representative of the work I've done, nor the range of the audience that work has found. I've played lots of different roles, and they've connected with lots of different people.
I don't think any of us like to be reduced to just one label.
people role themselves
My parents, man, they're just the most loving, encouraging... They're like those people who define themselves through their role as parents before people in their own rights.
acting music personal
My music is a very personal reflection of me, whereas, acting a role, that's a reflection of another character.
subvert whether
Bandwagons roll through our lives. It's up to you whether you jump on them unquestioningly or jump on them to overturn them and subvert them.
almost bit caught
I like the idea of being caught between things, always being a bit of an outsider, having an outside eye on things - almost like a Shakespearean fool.
people doubt acting
The only people who have doubts about the sincerity of my music are people who come to it relatively late, off the back of having seen me in a film. Acting is about being other people, and music is about being myself.
rap inspiration stuff
I go to a lot of stand-up comedy. I find more inspiration from observational stuff than from rap.