Riz Ahmed Says Everyone Can Be Make A Difference #RogueOne #RogueOneEvent

Wow, Riz Ahmed Rogue One. The everlasting impression for me is that Riz Ahmed Says Everyone Can Be Make A Difference. Diversity, Resilience, Resourcefulness.  Despite the Death Star, Star Wars does bring out the best in humanity, don’t you agree?It is not every day that you sit down to chit chat with a Star Wars actor that is also an Oxford graduate that so happens to have just been nominated for a Golden Globe plus a SAG award (and Screen Actors Guild).  But I am taken by Riz Ahmed not only because he is an extraordinary actor.  His insight on his character and the passion of his answers lit up the room at the Lucas Film HQ where we interviewed him.  

I was invited by Disney to the Rogue One press trip to facilitate interviews and reviews.

Exclusive Interview with Riz Ahmed Rogue One

We were wrapping up our interview with Diego Luna when Riz Ahmed arrived for his.  They teased each other, and we could tell they had good laughs and good times together on set. We keep hearing throughout the Rebel interviews that there was a sense of family going around.  Riz Ahmed gives his view on this: ““We ended up spending a lot of time together because it’s quite an ensemble and story. It’s really about this gang. It’s about myself, K-2SO, Cassian, Jyn, Baze, and Chirrut. We’re this troop and so we spent a lot of time together closed off in sweaty space ships. We got to keep each other alive, awake, and we cracked a lot of jokes. We definitely had to make each other laugh and keep each other’s energy up. Definitvely, we bonded.”.

Rogue One Theme: Everyone Can make a difference

The highlight of the interview for me, was when I asked him to describe his character in there words.  His answer was insightful: “Full of Regret.  That was deep! I think it’s true for a lot of the people in this film. A lot of the people in this film have got quite a dark history. Or have got a past that they’re not proud of. And they’re trying to make things right. And that’s what drives them to take big risks and to link up with other people, who they’ve got nothing in common with, to try and fight a cause that’s bigger than any one of them. It’s about redemption – people trying to make things right for themselves and for people around them.  

Who is Bohdi Rook in Rogue One

Ahmed explains that Bohdi is from Empire occupied planet Jedha.  He is a cargo pilot for them because the only choice of employer is the Empire really.  His name Bohdi means “awakening”, and so Bodhi comes to the realization that he needs to take a stand for what he believes in.  Consequently, taking a huge risk, he defects the Empire and finds a way to help the Rebels.  

Getting to Play Bodhi

Ahmed admits to a log of begging on his part to getting the Bohdi Rook part: “Gareth Edwards and I were kind of on that same circuit of really low budget (independent) British films. He’d seen my work. So he called me up asked me to audition. But he made the mistake of giving me his email address. I literally emailed him one version of the scene. And then a few hours later, I had another idea, and I sent him another version. And then I did that again. The next morning I didn’t have a reply, so I thought I should maybe send him some more! In four days I sent him 12 takes.

Uh-oh

Then he finally emailed me back and said ‘Hey Riz just wanted to say please don’t email me anymore. I’ve got your auditions. Thank you.’ I was, oh man, I screwed it up! Then he then called me a month later when I assumed I’ve screwed it up, to say yeah come and do this. But I was just glad it wasn’t his lawyers calling me to take out a restraining order. I guess I can be kind of obsessive with, with my work. And, luckily this time it didn’t cost me a job.”.  Later he found out from Edwards that his very first email was what got his the part!

Independent vs. Big Budget Films

Coming from the independent film arena, what differences did Riz Ahmed find with the big budget film industry? “A lot of differences in terms of scale. I remember turning up on the first day of shooting and cranes were carrying palm trees and inserting them into the ground. We were in a field in Buckinghamshire in England. Two hundred storm troopers stood around, taking a break with their helmets off, just talking to each other. Everything about that is surreal.

Similarities

But it’s remarkable how much is the same; in terms of being surrounded by a bunch of people who really care about their work, and working really hard. I’ve heard a lot of stories that on these bigger blockbuster movies. People are there just for the money. They don’t care. Maybe that is true for some of these films, but for this movie, almost all the crew have grown up watching Star Wars, so this is their childhood dream to be doing this. If you pick up any random prop that’s on set, you’ll see they’ve got alien writing on it, and touch screen things, and buttons, and dials.  You realize people just love their job and they loved being a part of this world and helping create this world.”

Preparing to be Bohdi Rook

Ahmed prepares for his roles talking to people that have had similar experiences or lives as his characters.  Of course, there is no one he can question about life as an Imperial Cargo Pilot  As much research, preparation and studying as he could do, he did: “You don’t really know what the reference points are, where your starting points are for your character. In the end I realized that the reference point is the world that is around you.  When you turn up on set and they’ve built these mountains and spaceships, and there are alien creatures walking past you… I realized the preparation doesn’t have to be in your head.  It’s right there in front of you, and you just have to soak it up.”.

Bodhi Rook Names The Team

Have you noticed on one of the trailers for movie that Bohdi reports the team to be “Rogue One”?  Well guess what, that wasn’t scripted at all! Ahmed loves the fact that his character gets to name the team, and he tells us who it happened on the very last day of work :”John Swords, one of the producers asked ‘Can you do a take when you say this?’ So it was a very last minute thing they threw in.  I was, like ‘yes! I get to name the team!’ It just happened. It’s really interesting. A lot of the film took shape like that: it evolved. My character started out as a totally different character with a different name and a different job. I think that’s kind of cool. When you do these big movies, there’s a lot of people think that it’s quite stiff and everything has to be planned out beforehand. Actually, it is kind of the opposite, at least with these guys. They’re willing to move around as much as they have to to make things work and make them as good as they can be.”

Ahmed and Rook Similarities

When asked how he might be similar to his character, Riz Ahmed replied: “I’d like to think that Bodhi is quite a relatable character for a lot of people. He’s just an every man, an average Joe. He finds himself in a crazy situation. He’s not like Cassian, who’s a rebel spy. He’s not like Baze who is a hardened assassin, or Jyn (Erso, played by Felicity Jones) who is this criminal rebel. He’s a truck driver.  He finds himself in the middle of this crazy intergalactic heist movie. He freaks out a little bit.  I think I’d freak out in that kind of situation. I think most of us would. So hopefully that’s kind of relatable.”.

Riz Ahmed’s Takeaway from Rogue One

There is no commentary that will make justice to Riz Ahmed’s hope we will all takeaway from Rogue One.  This is it: “Even normal people can make big contributions. You might think that someone else is going to stand up for what you believe in. But actually, at some point, it’s on you to stand up for what you believe in. And try and make a contribution for what you think is right.”.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

I bet you thought that after my interview with Ben Mendelsohn (Director Krennic) we had all the gold in our hands, right?  Well, we were missing this fabulous nuget with Riz Ahmed!  One more day and we get to take in these amazing actors in a fantastic Star Wars story.  December 16th people!  Do you have your tickets?

catch up with all our other Rogue One interviews and articles:

Exclusive Interview with Ben Mendelsohn – Director Krennic in Rogue One

Exclusive Interview with Donnie Yen on being spiritually centered fighting rebel, Chirrut

Exclusive Diego Luna Rogue One Interview

Exclusive Felicity Jones Rogue One Interview

Exclusive Mads Mikkelsen and Alan Tudyk Rogue One Interview

Our Visit to The Skywalker Ranch and Lucas Film HQ Experience

 

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