Riz Ahmed on mining his own life for 'Bait' and why representation is 'not an end in itself'

Riz Ahmed on mining his own life for 'Bait' and why representation is 'not an end in itself'

From The Envelope by Los Angeles Times

June 11, 2026 · 34 min · Episode 202

About this episode

Riz Ahmed discusses his personal experiences that inspired his series 'Bait' and the importance of representation in media.

In this week’s episode of The Envelope podcast, Riz Ahmed talks about drawing on his own experience for “Bait,” his Prime Video series about a British Muslim actor whose life is upended when he’s rumored to be the next James Bond.

People in this episode

Host: Los Angeles Times

Guest: Riz Ahmed

Topics covered

  • representation
  • personal experience
  • British Muslim actor
  • film industry
  • cultural commentary

Keywords

  • Riz Ahmed
  • Bait
  • Prime Video
  • representation
  • James Bond
  • British Muslim actor
  • film
  • culture

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Prime Video

Books & works: Bait

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