MY FIRST GUEST TONIGHT IS AN ENGLISH ACTOR AND RAPPER BEST
KNOWN FOR HIS ACCLAIMED ROLE AS NASIR KHAN IN HBO'S "THE NIGHT
OF."
PLEASE WELCOME, RIZ AHMED.
♪ (CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
NICE TO HAVE YOU.
>> REALLY GOOD TO BE HERE.
>> Stephen: NORMALLY WHEN WE HAVE SOMEBODY WHO'S A PART OF A
REALLY HOT SHOW LIKE YOURS, "THE NIGHT OF" -- WHICH IS AMAZING,
IT TOOK OVER THE SLOT FOR "GAME OF THRONES."
>> IT IS.
>> Stephen: BUT SCARIER.
WE SHOWED A CLIP.
I'M HOOKED ON THE SERIES AND I HAVEN'T SEEN THE FINALE SO I
INSISTED THEY SHOW NO CLIP SO I WOULDN'T HAVE SPOILERS.
SO KEEP IN MIND, I DON'T KNOW HOW IT ENDS.
>> OKAY.
>> Stephen: YEAH.
O HOW ARE WE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE SHOW?
>> Stephen: IN CODE.
(LAUGHTER) LET'S TALK AT YOU.
I'D RATHER TALK ABOUT YOU FIRST.
A YEAR AGO, I DIDN'T KNOW YOUR NAME.
NO OFFENSE.
I DIDN'T KNOW WHO RIZ AHMED WAS.
BUT NOW THE JAYSEN BOURNE MOVIE, YOU'RE ON A ROCKET RIDE RIGHT
NOW (APPLAUSE)
>> FEELS WEIRD.
WE HAVE THE SAME, YOU WAIT AN HOUR FOR A LONDON BUS AND THEN
THREE COME ALONG AT ONCE.
FROM THE INSIDE, I HAVE BEEN WORKING STEADILY ON A BUNCH OF
INDIE PROJECTS FOR A LONG TIME.
FROM THE INSIDE, THIS DOESN'T FEEL LIKE IT HAPPENED OVERNIGHT,
BUT I CAN UNDERSTAND.
>> Stephen: NO, YOU'RE ALWAYS BEEN THERE TO YOU.
>> YEAH, I HAVE BEEN HERE THE WHOLE TIME, EXACTLY.
>> OKAY, SO CAN I TALK ABOUT HOW THIS PART CAME TO YOU?
DID YOU FOE ANYTHING ABOUT THE PROJECT IF DID YOU KNOW ANYTHING
ABOUT THE CREATORS WHEN YOU GOT THIS?
>> I ACTUALLY HAVE TO BE HONEST.
I KNEW NOTHING ABOUT THE PROJECTS.
I WAS COMING BACK FROM THE FILM FESTIVAL AND MY AGENT SAID I'M
SENDING YOU A SCRIPT, READ IT ON THE PLANE, YOU'RE GOING TO
AUDITION AS SOON AS YOU LAND.
I'M SO BEHIND, I STILL HAVEN'T SEEN "BREAKING BAD."
>> Stephen: IT'S ALL A VERY HAPPY ENDING, YEAH.
(LAUGHTER) >> GOOD.
AND I KIND OF -- THE NAME HBO MEANT SOMETHING TO ME BUT I KIND
OF ASSOCIATE IT MORE WITH LATE-NIGHT BOXING.
>> Stephen: MM-HMM.
O I'M, LIKE, YES, INTERESTING, BRANCHING OUT.
>> Stephen: PRIMARILY BOXING AND A DRAMA OR TWO.
(LAUGHTER) >> YEAH.
>> Stephen: UH-HUH.
I REMEMBER THE SCRIPT IS SO GOOD, I THOUGHT, WHOEVER WROTE
THIS HAS A GREAT FUTURE AHEAD OF HIM, AND TURNED OUT TO BE THE
GUYS WHO WROTE SCHINDLER'S LIST AND THE WIRE AND --
(LAUGHTER) >> Stephen: YEAH, THEY'RE
GOING TO BE OKAY.
YOUR FAMILY IS ORIGINALLY FROM PAKISTAN, CORRECT?
>> YES.
>> Stephen: AND YOU ARE BORN IN ENGLAND?
>> YES.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE ONE PERSON FROM EVERY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.
(LAUGHTER) YOU ARE PLAYING SOMEONE WHO IS
FROM THE BOROUGHS OF NEW YORK.
IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE AMERICAN-MUSLIM EXPERIENCE
AND THE ENGLISH-MUSLIM EXPERIENCE?
>> WHAT'S INTERESTING IS I THINK THE WORD "ASIAN" MEANS SOMETHING
DIFFERENT THAT BE IN THE U.K.
>> Stephen: ASIAN HERE MEANS CHINESE, JAPANESE, THAILAND,
SOUTHEAST ASIAN.
>> IN THE U.K. IT MEANS PEOPLE LIKE ME.
SO IT'S DIFFERENT BEING ASIAN IN THE U.S. BECAUSE PEOPLE WOULD
COME UP TO ME AND TRY TO SPEAK TO ME IN SPANISH, FIRST OF ALL.
>> Stephen: YEAH, YEAH.
THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN SO MUCH IF YOU LOOK AT ME IN THE U.K.
I WOULD SAY, NO, I'M ASIAN, AND THEY WOULD LOOK AT ME LIKE I'M
CRAZY.
SO THERE IS THAT DIFFERENT, I GUESS.
NO, I KIND OF FEEL LIKE, WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, I FELT LIKE I
HAD TO QUALIFY AND SAY I'M BRITISH-PAKISTANI.
BUT I FEEL THIS DAY IN AGE, THIS IS WHAT BRITISH LOOKS LIKE AND
HOPEFULLY THROUGH NASIR KHAN, PEOPLE WILL SEE THAT'S WHAT AN
AMERICAN CAN LOOK LIKE AS WELL.
(APPLAUSE) >> Stephen: DO YOU HAVE ANY
ISSUES WHEN YOU TRAVEL HERE IN BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, DONALD TRUMP
SAYS NO MUSLIMS.
NO MUSLIMS TO THE UNITED STATES.
DO YOU HAVE ANY ISSUES?
>> HE KIND OF ALWAYS SAYS FOREIGNERS ARE COMING OVER HERE
TAKING JOBS.
I KIND OF AGREE.
THERE IS A LOT OF BRITISH ACTORS ON TV RIGHT NOW OVER HERE.
>> Stephen: HELLO.
ABSOLUTELY.
(APPLAUSE) >> IT'S NOT GOOD.
>> Stephen: IT'S NOT RIGHT.
THEY'VE GOT TO BUILD A WALL AROUND THE AUDITION ROOM OR
SOMETHING, KEEP THEM AWAY.
(LAUGHTER) BUT, YEAH, I KIND OF DO HAVE
TROUBLE.
I GET SEARCHED EVERY TIME I FLY HERE.
>> Stephen: A SECONDARY SEARCH?
>> A RANDOM SEARCH.
>> Stephen: I THOUGHT IT WAS A DEEPER SEARCH.
>> I GET SEARCHED BY FANS AND THEY CAN BE REALLY THOROUGH.
>> Stephen: ARE YOU FANS SURPRISED WHEN THEY FIND OUT YOU
ARE ENGLISH?
BECAUSE I DID NOT KNOW YOU WERE ENGLISH TILL YOU STARTED
TALKING.
FLAP FLAP.
>> GREAT.
>> Stephen: THAT'S ON ME.
YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE YOUR RESEARCH.
>> Stephen: IT'S MY FAULT.
BUT ARE PEOPLE SURPRISED WHEN THEY GO, WAIT A SECOND!
YOU'RE NOT FROM QUEENS?
(LAUGHTER) >> IT'S KIND OF WEIRD, AS SOON
AS I LAND IN THE CITY WE'RE FILMING, I THINK I'M GOING TO
START TALKING IN THE ACCENT OF THE CHARACTER TO THE FIRST
PERSON I MEET ON THE PRODUCTION.
SO THEY THINK THAT'S HOW I TALK.
SO OUT OF EMBARRASSMENT, I CAN'T GO BACK ON THAT.
>> Stephen: SO YOU GET TANGLED IN A LIE.
>> YES, DEEPER AND DEEPER INTO THIS LIE AND I JUST SPEAK IN
THIS ACCENT THE WHOLE TIME.
SOMETIMES PEOPLE MIGHT COME UP TO ME AND SAY YOU DON'T HAVE AN
ACCENT, YOU MUST BE FROM LONDON.
AND I SAY, YEAH.
BUT WHEN WE WRAP, THEY CAN FEEL BETRIED.
WHEN WE WRAP UP I GO UP AND SAY, THANKS A LOT, MATE, I APPRECIATE
IT.
THEY SAY, I DON'T KNOW YOU!
WHO ARE YOU?
(LAUGHTER) >> Stephen: THIS YEAR YOU WILL
BE IN ROGUE ONE.
THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS YOU CAN'T TELL ME, RIGHT?
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: IS THERE ANYTHING THAT DOESN'T END IN A DANCE
NUMBER?
ANYTHING YOU CAN TELL US?
>> I CAN TELL YOU HOW WE FILMED IT A LITTLE BIT.
IT'S KIND OF DIFFERENT THAN THE "STAR WARS" MOVIES.
IT'S A VERY BOOTS ON THE GROUND FEEL.
OUR DIRECTOR WOULD OFTEN OPERATE THE CAMERA AND WE WOULD DO THESE
REALLY INTENSE SCENES WHERE WE WOULD DO IT AGAIN AND AGAIN AND
AGAIN WITHOUT STOPPING, JUST AGAIN AND AGAIN.
AND, SO, THE WHOLE FILM HAS A REALLY INTENSE ENERGY AND,
PARTLY, THAT'S BECAUSE OF THAT PROCESS BECAUSE PARTLY WE NEVER
GOT TO BREAK TO GO TO THE TOILET WITHIN THAT PROCESS AT ALL.
>> Stephen: SO IF I SEE A SHOT OF YOU AND YOU LOOK FURIOUS,
YOUR BLADDER IS SO FULL -- >> A LITTLE BIT, YEAH.
>> Stephen: YOU GOT RAGE BLADDER, YEAH.
(LAUGHTER) >> YEAH, BASICALLY.
>> Stephen: ONE THING I DID FIND OUT ABOUT YOU WAS THAT YOU
ACTUALLY WERE A RAPPER CALLED RIZ EMCEE?
>> I STILL AM.
>> Stephen: OKAY, GOOD.
I SUPPOSE ONCE ALWAYS.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: COULD YOU DROP SOME KNOWLEDGE FOR US RIGHT NOW?
(APPLAUSE) DO YOU NEED ANYTHING?
>> NO, I JUST DO IT A CAPPELLA.
SO I USED TO DO FREE STYLE RAP BATTLES.
SO IT COULD BE LIKE COPER IN A BLACKTITE WHAT A SHARP GENT,
LOOKS LIKE THE CHAT SHOW VERSION OF CLARK KENT!
(LAUGHTER) I'M FROM THE U.K. WHERE IT'S NOT
JUST "DOWNTON ABBEY" AND THOSE POSH PEEPS, DON'T BELIEVE THAT
LIE LIKE YOU HEARD IT FROM RYAN LOCHTE.
(LAUGHTER) (APPLAUSE)
THANK YOU.
>> STEPHEN: "THE NIGHT OF" IS AVAILABLE ON HBO GO AND HBO NOW.
RIZ AHMED, EVERYBODY.