Hamlet, James Bond and SNL UK: Riz Ahmed on Reinventing Cultural Icons
4/17/202639 min
A new and radical take on Shakespeare’s Hamlet is out in US cinemas. The force behind it is actor, writer, producer and musician Riz Ahmed. He says the 400-year-old story has never felt more current.
Ahmed, Oscar-nominated for Sound of Metal and star of the Oscar-winning live-action short The Long Goodbye, has a new series on Prime Video called Bait. It’s a black comedy about an actor on the cusp of a life-changing role as James Bond.
In this conversation with Mishal Husain, Ahmed talks about creativity and politics, discusses his upcoming movie with Tom Cruise and how becoming a father affected his acting.
Read this interview with Mishal’s notes on Bloomberg Weekend: www.bloomberg.com/latest/weekend-interview
02:32 - Hamlet “never goes out of fashion"
03:39 - “The old order is falling apart”
05:00 - “Is it the world that’s gone crazy or is it me?”
07:50 - The dream of playing Hamlet
09:51 - To be, or not to be is “misunderstood”
13:40 - “It's authentic. I'm not acting”
17:00 - Bait “it’s a very personal show”
17:24 - Why Barbara Broccoli said yes to using Bond
21:43 - Looking for acceptance
22:34 - “Culture works in cycles”
25:04 - Acting was an extension of real life
28:20 - “I don’t like being pinned down”
28:42 - SNL UK
30:01 - Working with Tom Cruise
32:21 - “My weekends are really simple”
Contact The Mishal Husain Show mishalshow@bloomberg.net
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
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Mishal Husain· Host0:37
[instrumental music] Right now, we are living through some of the most tumultuous political times our country has ever known. I'm David Remnick, and each week on The New Yorker Radio Hour, I'll try to make sense of what's happening, alongside politicians and thinkers like Cory Booker, Nancy Pelosi, Liz Cheney, Tim Walz, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Newt Gingrich, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Charlamagne Tha God, and so many more. That's all on The New Yorker Radio Hour, wherever you listen to podcasts.
Speaker 31:06
[car horn] This is Saigon, the story of my family and of the country that shaped us.
Speaker 41:13
From iHeart Podcasts, Saigon.
Riz Ahmed· Guest1:16
You don't think I'm serious about a free Vietnam?
Speaker 41:19
One city, a divided country, and the war that tore America apart.
Speaker 61:23
This is for Vietnam.
Speaker 71:24
They're pouring petrol all over.
Riz Ahmed· Guest1:26
Freedom for Vietnam.
Speaker 71:27
There's a fire coming to this