Emmy nominee Riz Ahmed on his 10-year quest to put all of himself in Bait
The actor breaks down the liberating process of making and starring in his "unusual, scrappy half-hour show."
Riz Ahmed has been working on Bait in some form for nearly ten years. The show began as an idea, but he initially shelved it. However, after his Emmy-winning performance in HBO's The Night Of in 2017, Bait became a more significant project for Ahmed. He wanted to explore the struggle of balancing public and private identities, which is a universal experience, whether it's on social media or in real life.
By tapping back into his comedic roots, Ahmed grounds Shah Latif in surreal and genre-bending situations. The show embraces various tonal shifts to mirror Shah's identity crisis and the actor's own journey of discovering his role in the industry.
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