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For Riz Ahmed, Life is a Spy Thriller

5/18/202632 min

Sometimes, actor Riz Ahmed says, his life feels like a spy thriller. He made his new show, “Bait,” about that feeling, and sat down with Jessica Mendoza at our Journal Live show in Los Angeles to talk about it. The actor, known for blockbusters like “Star Wars: Rogue One” and his Oscar-nominated performance in “Sound of Metal,” also spoke about his career, what it takes to succeed in Hollywood and getting the rights to a famous spy for his show. Further Listening:

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Clips

Did I Burn The Bond Bridge?
It’s Not About Bond
Being Brown Feels Like Spy Thriller
From Rooms To Building Rooms
Redefining Success In Hollywood
Trust Your Gut, Then Verify
Leaking A Meltdown For Marketing
Why Specificity Breaks Out
From Viral Moments To Lasting Stories
Specificity Creates Universality

Transcript preview

First 90 seconds

  1. Jessica Mendoza· Host0:00

    [upbeat music] Riz Ahmed is an actor, rapper, and movie producer. You may know him from Star Wars: Rogue One, The Sound of Metal, which got him nominated for an Academy Award, or the TV show Bait. This conversation was filmed at our Journal Live event in Los Angeles last month. [audience cheering] You can watch the interview on Spotify. It's got some fun moments you might wanna see.

  2. Riz Ahmed· Guest0:26

    Hey, everyone. How you doing?

  3. Jessica Mendoza· Host0:29

    [laughs] [audience cheering] Riz, I'm so glad you are here to join us for this live taping of the Journal podcast.

  4. Riz Ahmed· Guest0:36

    I'm really glad to be here.

  5. Jessica Mendoza· Host0:37

    Uh, we gotta do one more thing. Are you ready?

  6. Riz Ahmed· Guest0:39

    Let's do it.

  7. Jessica Mendoza· Host0:39

    Are you guys ready?

  8. Speaker 20:40

    Yeah.

  9. Jessica Mendoza· Host0:41

    Amazing. All right, cue the theme. [upbeat music] [laughs] [audience cheering] Live from the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, welcome to the Journal, our show about money, business, and power. I'm Jessica Mendoza. Coming up on the show, Riz Ahmed on making Hollywood work for him. [audience cheering] Way to go.

  10. Speaker 31:10

    [laughs] Amazon presents Laura versus fruit flies. [playful music] Swarming your fruit and terrorizing your kitchen, these little freaks multiply at a rate that would make a rabbit say, "Yo,

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