25 Riz Ahmed Quotes for You to Enjoy

Riz Ahmed

British Musician

Born: Dec 1, 1982

Me Music People Think World You

Related authors: Brian Eno Cat Stevens Freddie Mercury George Harrison George Michael Jimmy Page Robert Plant Sting

The only people who have doubts about the sincerity of my music are people who come to it relatively late, off the back of having seen me in a film. Acting is about being other people, and music is about being myself. Riz Ahmed

Sadly, I have disappointed the surveillance capitalists myself by not yet downloading 'Pokemon Go.' But I'm addicted to my phone enough as it is, and I don't necessarily need that helping hand. Riz Ahmed

Myself Phone Enough Addicted Disappointed Sadly Go Hand Surveillance Capitalists Helping Helping Hand Downloading Necessarily Need

What's interesting about the U.K. is that it celebrates an alternative voice. It's up for telling new stories. Riz Ahmed

Telling About Voice New Alternative Up Stories Interesting

I don't feel that any kind of narrow stereotypes are representative of the work I've done, nor the range of the audience that work has found. I've played lots of different roles, and they've connected with lots of different people. Riz Ahmed

I think that in an Internet age, content is content. As long as you can stand up on the merits of what you're doing right at that moment and aren't just relying on your success in doing something else, it's all good; people will respect you. Riz Ahmed

Success Good You Respect Age People Internet Will Good People Long Think Else Something Something Else Relying Merits Content Doing Up Just Stand Your Stand Up Moment Internet Age Right

I have always been restless, had a lot of energy. Riz Ahmed

Energy Restless Had Always Been Lot

My music is a very personal reflection of me, whereas, acting a role, that's a reflection of another character. Riz Ahmed

Music Character Me Reflection Another Very Role Personal Whereas Acting

I'm not in a 'starry' position to be able to pick and choose, but I am interested in telling stories of substance with great directors - that's my only guiding principle. Riz Ahmed

Great Guiding Telling Able Only Directors Pick Pick And Choose Principle Am Substance Stories Interested Choose Starry Position

Rehearsing a scene beds a role into you. But sometimes, if you over-rehearse it without unearthing any new meaning in it, you can suddenly forget your lines. You realise that you are on a stage, not in the real world. The scene's emotional power, and your immersion in it, disappears. Riz Ahmed

You World Sometimes Power Stage Scene Emotional Disappears New Without Real Beds Lines Role Forget Any The Real World Real World Realise Meaning Your Rehearsing Suddenly

The 'Bourne' films totally reimagined and elevated the action genre. Riz Ahmed

Action Films Totally Bourne Genre Elevated

It's interesting that we assign the label 'political' to art that doesn't just fit a mould of status quo. Is 'Downton Abbey' not political? That's political! Every piece of art offers a perspective on the world. And what is politics if not a perspective on the world? 'Downton Abbey' is about class. It's also about race. Riz Ahmed

Politics Art Class World Political Perspective Every Abbey Status Status Quo About Piece Also Fit Label Mould Offers Just Quo Interesting Race Downton Abbey Assign

I'm used to doing U.K. indie films, like, six weeks of filming, tops. Riz Ahmed

Films Tops Indie Weeks Like Doing Six Used Filming

Whether you look at 'Glee' and its normalization of gay identity or you look at the work of Martin Scorsese and the Italian-American community, American culture is able to take these stories, which are seen as marginalized, and just turn them into American stories. And you don't think twice about it. Riz Ahmed

Work Gay You Culture Seen Community Think Able About Martin Martin Scorsese Take Glee Look Identity Italian-American Scorsese American Just American Culture Stories Whether Which Them Turn Twice Marginalized

I grew up listening to a lot of early '90s hip-hop. I had the debut Wu-Tang album, Biggie, Snoop, that kind of stuff. Hieroglyphics, the Gravediggaz. I remember D.O.C.'s 'The Portrait of a Masterpiece' was something that had a big influence on me. Riz Ahmed

Growing up in the mid-to-late '90s in London, you start seeing the explosion of drum'n'bass and then the birth of U.K. garage and grime. I decided to focus a lot of my energies as an aspiring MC. It was a very natural way to express yourself as a kid from a certain kind of neighborhood. Riz Ahmed

You Natural Yourself Focus Birth Way Kid Neighborhood Kind London Seeing Lot Up Very Decided Energies Then Certain Natural Way Explosion Aspiring Express Express Yourself Garage Growing Growing Up Start

I get good references from a wide range of music. Something who's been a good influence in the last few years is Qawwali music. If you listen to a Qawwali singer like Aziz Mian - he's like James Brown. Qawwali is like Pakistani gospel-jazz. It's emotional, but it's also improvised, and it's all about that sacred-and-profane tightrope. Riz Ahmed

Music Good You Few Range About Brown Something Emotional He Like Also Singer Tightrope Been Years References Get Improvised Listen Influence James James Brown Pakistani Wide Wide Range Last Last Few Years

I remember, growing up, you didn't wear an England shirt. The English flag was very much - and still is, to some extent - associated with the far-right movements of the 1980s that I grew up around. Riz Ahmed

You Remember Wear Some Around Still Up Very Shirt Flag Movements Grew Much England English Growing Growing Up Extent Associated

Reshoots are par for the course on any film. For me, I kind of love it because, as an actor, you always feel that there was a way you could have done it differently. Being able to go back and do some stuff again is always a blessing in my eyes. Riz Ahmed

Love Me You Blessing Eyes Back Way Par Kind Able Some Could Feel Stuff Course Because Always Go Any Done Being Again Film Actor Differently

Hollywood is an image. We project these fantasies on to it, but people are just people. Riz Ahmed

People Project Just Fantasies Hollywood Image

Maybe I don't ever fully switch off, but I think the way I offset that is by splitting my time between film and music. I always want to challenge myself and grow, fail, self-flagellate, and then try again. Riz Ahmed

When I was growing up, I felt like I had to qualify it and say I'm British-Pakistani. But now I kind of feel like, in this day in age, this is what British looks like. It looks like me; it looks like Idris Elba, and hopefully through Nasir Khan, people will see that that's what an American can look like as well. Riz Ahmed

Day Me Age People Will Khan Say Kind Hopefully See Through Had Feel Like Look Qualify Well Looks Felt Up American Growing Growing Up Now British

Sometimes when you're inside a story, it's almost better if you don't think too much about its wider cultural significance or if you don't think about how audiences might react to it. That takes you out of the reality of the situation you're committing to as you're telling the story. Riz Ahmed

You Reality Better Sometimes Too Much Situation Think Too Out Significance Telling Inside About Takes Almost React How Audiences Cultural Committing Story Might Much Wider

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