Riz Ahmed’s mother was more focused on his diet than his life-changing Star Wars role.
The 34-year-old actor plays rebel pilot Bodhi Rook in the new spin-off flick, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, but was sworn to secrecy after landing the part. Unable to keep it to himself, Riz told the one person who he could trust; his mum.
“To be honest I felt like I had to tell someone, so I thought the safest option would be to tell someone very close to me, who wouldn’t say anything,” he told London’s Evening Standard newspaper, admitting he was close to breaking the rules and tweeting it.
“So that was my mum. When I was actually filming at Pinewood Studios, my mum’s house is close so I was staying there a lot. She would be saying, ‘What you filming, what you doing?’”
“I’d be like, ‘I’m filming Star Wars,’ and she’d be like, ‘Oh that’s nice, have some more roti…’ That’s her focus.”
Before joining the epic space fantasy franchise Riz had starred in films such as Nightcrawler and Jason Bourne, but nothing compares to the hype he’s currently experiencing.
Felicity Jones, Ben Mendelsohn and Diego Luna are just a few of the names who have also joined the galaxy far, far away.
“Star Wars is life-changing and I think I’m only just beginning to recognize that now,” Riz commented. “The fans are so dedicated and loyal, they show up everywhere. Which is lovely, but I might have to start making some weird disguises and wearing them!”
The actor, who has received critical acclaim for his role in HBO series The Night Of, also spoke of how lucky he feels to be a successful actor of Pakistani descent and that he’s thrilled by how many British actors of color are being recognized in the U.S.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story begins hitting cinemas from Wednesday (14Dec16).
