Riz Ahmed reveals how life after Star Wars inspired his new James Bond-themed series

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When people start watching Bait, they might expect Riz Ahmed to be a contender for the next James Bond role.

Although it initially appears to be a lighthearted story, the series explores more complex themes. It centers on Shah Latif (Ahmed), an actor whose disastrous audition for a Bond role becomes public, leading to intense media scrutiny even after he gets a second chance.

As a movie fan, I found that “Bait” isn’t just using James Bond as a story element; it really digs into what it’s like behind the scenes of a big franchise. It’s fascinating! Apparently, Riz Ahmed’s experience being in “Star Wars” actually sparked the idea for this new Prime Video series – talk about art imitating life!

In an exclusive interview with TopMob, Ahmed explained that the idea for Bait began to form around 12 years ago, in 2014 or 2015. He’d started gaining recognition around that time, especially after appearing in American shows like The Night Of and Star Wars.

I often felt like there was a huge difference between how people perceived me and who I truly am. I think many of us experience this – we present one version of ourselves to the world, whether online or in person, while privately, we’re often much more complex and imperfect.

He went on to explain that he found the effort to maintain a facade between two aspects of his life surprisingly amusing, even stressful at times. This led him to start writing down stories about the unusual experiences he’d had.

You know, I was really impressed with Riz Ahmed in ‘Rogue One’ – he totally nailed the role of Bodhi Rook. That movie, with Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, and Ben Mendelsohn, was fantastic. But what really blew me away was his performance in HBO’s ‘The Night Of.’ Seriously, he deserved that Emmy he won for being the lead actor – it was incredible.

Although Bait offers layers of meaning, Ahmed truly excels in his comedic performance, particularly when paired with Guz Khan, who plays the entrepreneurial Zulfi, his character’s cousin.

The lead actor from ‘Man Like Mobeen’ and Ahmed are actually friends, which made it great that they finally got to work together on screen. In an interview with TopMob, Khan explained that Ahmed has had a successful career, but it’s interesting how everyone has a public image. Khan shared that he simply knows Ahmed as a friend, and Ahmed feels the same way about him.

When you get the chance to bring those ideas and connections to life on screen, one thing both he and I always knew is that you can never truly predict how an audience will react to a TV show, no matter your experience or how much work you’ve put in, until it’s actually released.

I had a really good feeling about how well the cast would work together, and honestly, I think that really shows on screen. Our connection just clicked, and it’s definitely something you can see in the show.

Khan explained how rare it is to collaborate with close friends, let alone create something together. He felt honored to have this chance and excited for fans who’ve followed both their careers to see them team up in a special way. He added that people naturally expected them to play characters similar to themselves in a project like this.

It’s wonderful to finally see teamwork celebrated after so many years of being encouraged to succeed alone. For a long time, people have been told to climb to the top individually, but achieving something together is a truly special experience.

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Authors

Morgan CormackDrama Writer

Morgan Cormack writes about TV and streaming drama for TopMob. Before that, she was an Entertainment Writer at Stylist. She also has experience in content marketing, freelancing, and holds a degree in English Literature.

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2026-03-26 18:04