Riz Ahmed: podcast appearances and interviews

Rizwan Ahmed, born on December 1, 1982, is a British actor and rapper. He studied acting at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and began his acting career in independent films, including The Road to Guantanamo, Shifty, Four Lions, Trishna, and The Reluctant Fundamentalist. His breakthrough role was in Nightcrawler, which led to appearances in major films such as Jason Bourne and Rogue One. In 2016, Ahmed starred in the HBO miniseries The Night Of, playing a young man accused of murder, a performance that earned him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series. He also received an Emmy nomination for his guest role in Girls the same year. Ahmed's film roles include Carlton Drake in Venom and a drummer in Sound of Metal, the latter earning him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. In 2020, he produced, co-wrote, and starred in Mogul Mowgli, which was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film. As a musician, Ahmed is part of the hip-hop group Swet Shop Boys and has released critically acclaimed albums such as Microscope and Cashmere. He achieved commercial success with the Billboard 200-topping Hamilton Mixtape, featuring the song Immigrants We Get the Job Done, which won an MTV Video Music Award. His second studio album, The Long Goodbye, was accompanied by a short film of the same name, which contributed to his receipt of an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. In 2017, Time named him one of the most influential people in the world.