Riz Ahmed Defends Working With Amazon On ‘Bait’

Riz Ahmed has revealed that he had no qualms about working with Amazon on his latest project, “Bait.”

The actor made the comments amid long-standing accusations against the streaming giant regarding the alleged exploitation of workers.

Explaining why he was not concerned about the collaboration, Ahmed offered a philosophical response, saying he is determined to use his “stories” to help drive change from within the industry.

Following the debut of the six-part limited series, “Bait”, Riz Ahmed spoke to GQ for a cover feature exploring his life and career.

Among the key questions raised was whether he had any concerns about working with Amazon on the project, especially in light of ongoing controversies surrounding the company and allegations of worker exploitation.

While the actor said he had no interest in defending the company against such accusations, he noted that every means of making money isn’t ever really clean. He added that, for him as an artist, what matters most is whether he changes the room when he enters it, or the room changes him.

He added: “I’m determined to step inside of things and interrogate them, to use them to tell my stories and to try and change them and not have them change me as far as possible.”

Riz Ahmed Reflects On The Personal Weight Of ‘Bait’

In “Bait,” Ahmed portrays a struggling actor who is thrust into a media frenzy after being spotted leaving an audition for the role of James Bond

On the surface, many might think playing the character was easy for Ahmed, given his accomplishments and formal training at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

However, he said the role involved a deeper internal struggle for him, as the character was required to “embrace himself and his vulnerability” to achieve self-love.

“[For] me to make it, it’s also me having to take off the mask, me having to expose myself in messy vulnerability,” Ahmed told the outlet about the series. “Part of me is like, ‘I want everyone to see this.’ Part of me is like, ‘Does everyone have to see this?’”

Landing ‘Star Wars’ Was A Shock For The Actor

In Hollywood, Ahmed has come a long way since his breakout role in “Nightcrawler.” His résumé has expanded to include appearances in major studio productions such as “Jason Bourne,” “Venom,” and “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” and he has earned Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations.

However, Ahmed considers his “Star Wars” role the most surprising of them all, especially because he was going through a period of uncertainty in his life when he didn’t see himself landing such projects.

“That had come completely out of the blue—I was in my 30s; that world didn’t seem to hold a lot for someone like me,” Ahmed revealed.

The Actor Explains Why He Is Not Chasing Blockbusters

Rather than focusing on landing even more big-budget roles, Ahmed appears to have developed a stronger interest in more niche and unconventional projects in recent years. His last major blockbuster was “Venom” in 2018, and there currently does not appear to be another big-budget film on his immediate horizon.

According to the actor, he has found greater satisfaction in playing the kinds of roles featured in smaller, more personal productions because of the creative fulfillment they offer, compared to big-budget films that often follow only a “certain workflow.”

“The thing I felt like I needed to tap into more after that was, ‘How can I draw from my own life? How can I make more personal work?’” Ahmed recalled the thought process he had after starring in “Venom.”

Riz Ahmed Reveals The Lesson Behind His Personal Work

Despite his preference for more personal projects, work has continued to receive critical acclaim. In 2022, his short film “The Long Goodbye” won the Academy Awards for Best Live Action Short Film.

A year earlier, “Sound of Metal” earned Ahmed Best Actor nominations at several major award ceremonies, including the Academy Awards and the Golden Globe Awards.

Choosing this path has led to an important lesson for him, one tied to an idea about acting he has carried with him since childhood.

He said, “[I had] this idea of putting on a mask whenever I would prepare for a role. I would never draw from anything in my own life; it would always be research-based. [I realized] taking the mask off is harder than putting it on. That was the real watershed for me.”