Riz Ahmed’s latest movie required a physical transformation unlike anything he’d ever undergone.
In a new interview with IndieWire, the “Mogul Mowgli” star talked about losing 22 pounds for his role as Zed in the film.
“I lost 10 kilos [about 22 pounds] in three weeks. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone,” he said. “I had a professional dietician working with me, but it was really gruelling and took me emotionally to an intense place, which probably informed the movie. That was a big part of it, being in a place of weakness and fatigue and insatiable hunger.”
In “Mogul Mowgli”, Ahmed plays a British-Pakistani rapper who is diagnosed with a degenerative autoimmune disease just before his big European tour.
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Ahmed also praised director Bassam Tariq for his work on the film: “[Directing] can be so much about the projection of power, control, and ego.
“Directors are taught to pretend they have an answer even when they don’t. That’s not the way Bassam leads. He leads through vulnerability and collaboration. I remember the first day of shooting [‘Mogul Mowgli’], he gathered everyone around with a tear in his eyes asking everyone for forgiveness because he knows he’s going to make mistakes. Who does that?”
Talking about his approach to acting, Ahmed quoted fellow actor Daniel Kaluuya.
“Dan Kaluuya said something I liked: ‘If you’re in your head, you’re dead.’ I think that’s true. Acting has to be in your body. Anything that brings you into your body centres you, and you can perform in that place,” he said.
