Photo: Dia Dipasupil/GettyRiz Ahmedis revealing the dramatic physical transformation he underwent for his latest role in the filmMogul Mowgli.The actor, 38, toldIndieWirethat his latest role as Zed, a Pakistani rapper whose career is threatened when he’s diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, was “about intense weight loss.““I lost 10 kilos [about 22 pounds] in three weeks. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone,” Ahmed said.The actor was sure to enlist the help of an expert to safely undergo his extreme weight loss forMogul Mowgli, but he said the process was still challenging.“I had a professional dietician working with me, but it was really grueling and took me emotionally to an intense place, which probably informed the movie,” he explained. “That was a big part of it, being in a place of weakness and fatigue and insatiable hunger.“Strand ReleasingAhmed quoted fellow actor Daniel Kaluuya to explain his process for embodying Zed,telling IndieWire, “Dan Kaluuya said something I liked: ‘If you’re in your head, you’re dead.’ I think that’s true.“He added, “Acting has to be in your body. Anything that brings you into your body centers you, and you can perform in that place.“RELATED GALLERY:Behind the Scenes — 13 Ways Actors Prep for Roles That Are SoNotNBDAhmed’s latest role comes not long after he played another musician onscreen inThe Sound of Metal, the 2019 film in which he starred as a drummer named Ruben who is losing his hearing. To bring his character to life, Ahmed learned how to play the drums, hetold PEOPLEin December.Riz Ahmed.Stefanie Keenan/Getty"As soon as I met Darius Marder, the director, he told me: ‘Listen, we’re going to do this all for real. When you’re drumming onscreen, you’re going to be drumming for real. And when you’re playing a gig, we’re gonna play in a real night club in front of a real audience,’ " Ahmed said.The actor described playing instrument as “a very psychological thing,” adding, “You can’t think your way through playing the drums, you have to kind of surrender; you have to let them play you almost. You have to trust. I think it kind of opened me up in new ways.“While his role inThe Sound of Metaldidn’t require the grueling physical changes he underwent forMogul Mowgli, Ahmed modified his body in a different way to play Ruben.The actor told PEOPLE he wore “modified hearing aids placed deep into my ear canal” that played white noise. The sound was so intense that Ahmed “couldn’t even hear myself speak,” he added. Mogul Mowgliis now playing in theaters.
Photo: Dia Dipasupil/Getty
Riz Ahmedis revealing the dramatic physical transformation he underwent for his latest role in the filmMogul Mowgli.The actor, 38, toldIndieWirethat his latest role as Zed, a Pakistani rapper whose career is threatened when he’s diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, was “about intense weight loss.““I lost 10 kilos [about 22 pounds] in three weeks. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone,” Ahmed said.The actor was sure to enlist the help of an expert to safely undergo his extreme weight loss forMogul Mowgli, but he said the process was still challenging.“I had a professional dietician working with me, but it was really grueling and took me emotionally to an intense place, which probably informed the movie,” he explained. “That was a big part of it, being in a place of weakness and fatigue and insatiable hunger.“Strand ReleasingAhmed quoted fellow actor Daniel Kaluuya to explain his process for embodying Zed,telling IndieWire, “Dan Kaluuya said something I liked: ‘If you’re in your head, you’re dead.’ I think that’s true.“He added, “Acting has to be in your body. Anything that brings you into your body centers you, and you can perform in that place.“RELATED GALLERY:Behind the Scenes — 13 Ways Actors Prep for Roles That Are SoNotNBDAhmed’s latest role comes not long after he played another musician onscreen inThe Sound of Metal, the 2019 film in which he starred as a drummer named Ruben who is losing his hearing. To bring his character to life, Ahmed learned how to play the drums, hetold PEOPLEin December.Riz Ahmed.Stefanie Keenan/Getty"As soon as I met Darius Marder, the director, he told me: ‘Listen, we’re going to do this all for real. When you’re drumming onscreen, you’re going to be drumming for real. And when you’re playing a gig, we’re gonna play in a real night club in front of a real audience,’ " Ahmed said.The actor described playing instrument as “a very psychological thing,” adding, “You can’t think your way through playing the drums, you have to kind of surrender; you have to let them play you almost. You have to trust. I think it kind of opened me up in new ways.“While his role inThe Sound of Metaldidn’t require the grueling physical changes he underwent forMogul Mowgli, Ahmed modified his body in a different way to play Ruben.The actor told PEOPLE he wore “modified hearing aids placed deep into my ear canal” that played white noise. The sound was so intense that Ahmed “couldn’t even hear myself speak,” he added. Mogul Mowgliis now playing in theaters.
Riz Ahmedis revealing the dramatic physical transformation he underwent for his latest role in the filmMogul Mowgli.
The actor, 38, toldIndieWirethat his latest role as Zed, a Pakistani rapper whose career is threatened when he’s diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, was “about intense weight loss.”
“I lost 10 kilos [about 22 pounds] in three weeks. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone,” Ahmed said.
The actor was sure to enlist the help of an expert to safely undergo his extreme weight loss forMogul Mowgli, but he said the process was still challenging.
“I had a professional dietician working with me, but it was really grueling and took me emotionally to an intense place, which probably informed the movie,” he explained. “That was a big part of it, being in a place of weakness and fatigue and insatiable hunger.”
Strand Releasing
Ahmed quoted fellow actor Daniel Kaluuya to explain his process for embodying Zed,telling IndieWire, “Dan Kaluuya said something I liked: ‘If you’re in your head, you’re dead.’ I think that’s true.”
He added, “Acting has to be in your body. Anything that brings you into your body centers you, and you can perform in that place.”
RELATED GALLERY:Behind the Scenes — 13 Ways Actors Prep for Roles That Are SoNotNBD
Ahmed’s latest role comes not long after he played another musician onscreen inThe Sound of Metal, the 2019 film in which he starred as a drummer named Ruben who is losing his hearing. To bring his character to life, Ahmed learned how to play the drums, hetold PEOPLEin December.
Riz Ahmed.Stefanie Keenan/Getty
“As soon as I met Darius Marder, the director, he told me: ‘Listen, we’re going to do this all for real. When you’re drumming onscreen, you’re going to be drumming for real. And when you’re playing a gig, we’re gonna play in a real night club in front of a real audience,’ " Ahmed said.
The actor described playing instrument as “a very psychological thing,” adding, “You can’t think your way through playing the drums, you have to kind of surrender; you have to let them play you almost. You have to trust. I think it kind of opened me up in new ways.”
While his role inThe Sound of Metaldidn’t require the grueling physical changes he underwent forMogul Mowgli, Ahmed modified his body in a different way to play Ruben.
The actor told PEOPLE he wore “modified hearing aids placed deep into my ear canal” that played white noise. The sound was so intense that Ahmed “couldn’t even hear myself speak,” he added. Mogul Mowgliis now playing in theaters.
source: people.com
