Rizwan "Riz" Ahmed (born 1 December 1982 in London, England) is an English actor and rapper of Indo-Pakistani descent.
Ahmed is known for his supporting roles in films like Centurion, Nightcrawler, and The Reluctant Fundamentalist. He also co-starred in Dead Set, a zombie apocalypse mini-series set within the Big Brother house.
In 2016, he appeared in three high profile projects: the fourth Jason Bourne film opposite Matt Damon, the HBO limited series The Night Of, and Star Wars anthology film Rogue One. For his work in The Night Of, he won an Emmy for Outstanding Leading Actor in a Limited Series or Movie.
In addition to his acting career, Ahmed is also a rapper and recording artist. He's released three solo albums, Microscope, Englistan, and The Long Goodbye, as well as Cashmere, a collaboration with Heems released under the name Swet Shop Boys.
Discography:
- Microscope (as Riz MC; 2011)
- Englistan (as Riz MC; 2016)
- Cashmere (with Heems, as Swet Shop Boys; 2016)
- "Immigrants (We Get The Job Done)" from The Hamilton Mixtape (as Riz MC; 2016)
- The Long Goodbye (as Riz Ahmed; 2020)
Selected filmography:
- Dead Set (2008) as Riq
- Four Lions (2010) as Omar
- Centurion (2010) as Tarik
- The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2013) as Changez
- Nightcrawler (2014) as Rick
- The Night Of (2016) as Nasir Khan note
- Jason Bourne (2016) as Aaron Kalloor
- Rogue One (2016) as Bodhi Rook
- Girls (2017) as Paul-Louis
- Venom (2018) as Dr. Carlton Drake/Riot
- Sound of Metal (2019note ) as Ruben Stone
- Weathering With You (2019) as Officer Takai (English dub)
- The Long Goodbye (2020) as Riz
- Nimona (2023) as Ballister Boldheart
- Fingernails (2023) as Amir
- Hamlet (TBD) as Hamlet
Notable tropes:
- Colorblind Casting: He's said that one of his personal goals for acting is that his race won't determine the characters he plays (like stereotypes and Typecasting), and champions diversity in not only casting but directing and producing.
- Dyeing for Your Art: As his career has gained traction, he's become more prone to role immersion as exemplified by Sound of Metal, where he studied metal drumming and American Sign Language for six months before filming.
- Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: He aggressively avoids this; whenever he has to drop his English accent, like for The Night Of, he speaks to everyone on and off set without it until everything is wrapped up. This tends to confuse people.
- Political Rap: Almost everything he's professionally released is political, usually focusing on racism, Islamophobia, and xenophobia in a post-9/11 world.
- Tom Hanks Syndrome: Tends to star in gritty and violent crime dramas or action films (even Rogue One was notably Darker and Edgier than the other Star Wars films), though he first gained attention from British audiences for starring in a comedy film, Four Lions.
