{"id":2364157,"date":"2026-04-08T14:58:32","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T14:58:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2364157"},"modified":"2026-04-08T14:58:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T14:58:32","slug":"riz-ahmed-says-he-felt-like-an-outsider-growing-up-just-like-his-modern-new-hamlet-exclusive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/riz-ahmed-says-he-felt-like-an-outsider-growing-up-just-like-his-modern-new-hamlet-exclusive\/","title":{"rendered":"Riz Ahmed Says He Felt Like an &#8216;Outsider&#8217; Growing Up, Just Like His Modern New \u201cHamlet\u201d (Exclusive)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\">NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"mb-4\">\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Riz Ahmed takes on the titular role in <em>Hamlet<\/em>, director Aneil Karia&#8217;s big-screen adaptation of William Shakespeare\u2019s classic tragedy debuting in theaters April 10<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Discovering the play in high school, Ahmed tells PEOPLE he connected with a character who felt like \u201cas much of an outsider as I did at that time\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">By setting <em>Hamlet<\/em> in modern-day London, Ahmed similarly hopes to \u201ctake audiences to a new place and have them recognize themselves there\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/riz-ahmed\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Riz Ahmed;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Riz Ahmed&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Riz Ahmed<\/a> has plenty in common with a centuries-old Danish prince.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The British actor-filmmaker, 43, connected with William Shakespeare&#8217;s <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/riz-ahmed-hamlet-obsessed-tiff-exclusive-11808504\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Hamlet;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Hamlet&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>Hamlet<\/em><\/a> long before embodying the titular figure in director Aneil Karia&#8217;s buzzy new screen adaptation of the tragic play.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cI had a really inspirational English teacher who gave it to me,\u201d Ahmed tells PEOPLE of the classic, published at the turn of the 17th century. \u201cAnd actually, I found a character, the heart of this play, that just feels as much of an outsider as I did at that time.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal dialogue\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><i>Riz Ahmed in &#8216;Hamlet&#8217;<br \/>Credit: TIFF<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for <\/strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/people-news-daily-newsletter-sign-up-8692701\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:PEOPLE's free daily newsletter;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;PEOPLE'&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><strong>PEOPLE&#8217;s free daily newsletter<\/strong><\/a><strong> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He adds with a laugh, \u201cAnd as much of an outsider as I think many of us feel right now, right? I think the central question of the play is, \u2018Am I losing my mind or has the world gone crazy?\u2019 And I think we are feeling that way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Karia and screenwriter Michael Lesslie\u2019s <em>Hamlet<\/em> swaps Denmark castles for modern-day, multicultural London, with Ahmed\u2019s titular character, for example, delivering the iconic \u201cTo be or not to be\u201d soliloquy while driving on a high-speed highway.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The Oscar winner acknowledges that \u201cmany people\u201d have a block with Shakespeare\u2019s work, that it \u201cdoesn&#8217;t belong to me and I don&#8217;t belong in it and it&#8217;s just a bit stuffy and alien and I&#8217;m on the outside of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Riz Ahmed in 'Hamlet'Credit: Vertical Entertainment\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/V8bb_o83RrmPcx3lFcT1Dw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/ae37321e0cc091caa0ddf196f3bdbae1\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal dialogue\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><i>Riz Ahmed in &#8216;Hamlet&#8217;<br \/>Credit: Vertical Entertainment<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">But \u201cas [critic] Roger Ebert would put it, movies and storytelling are an empathy engine,\u201d he adds. \u201cIt&#8217;s exciting to me to take audiences to a new place and have them recognize themselves there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">As with his newfound <em>Hamlet<\/em> obsession in high school, \u201cI&#8217;ve recognized myself in a place I would at least have expected to,\u201d continues Ahmed. \u201cThere&#8217;s something really important and powerful about that, particularly a time when we&#8217;re so hung up on everything that separates us and how we&#8217;re different from one another, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Shakespeare\u2019s themes might be a few centuries old, but in a modern context they still generate that empathy, as Ahmed points out. \u201cWe just wanted to make something that didn&#8217;t feel like a museum piece,\u201d he says of the <em>Hamlet<\/em>\u00a0movie.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Developing it as lead actor and producer, he adds, \u201csuddenly we&#8217;re in this position where in order to keep this canonical, British text alive, this Western text alive. We actually have to pass the baton in terms of where it&#8217;s set. And only then can it actually feel grounded and real.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Following a premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, <em>Hamlet<\/em> is in theaters Friday, April 10. It costars Morfydd Clark, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/joe-alwyn\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Joe Alwyn;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Joe Alwyn&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Joe Alwyn<\/a>, Sheeba Chaddha, Avijit Dutt, Art Malik, Timothy Spall and more.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Ahmed&#8217;s other projects include leading British limited series <em>Bait<\/em> (now streaming on Prime Video) and Alejandro G. I\u00f1\u00e1rritu\u2019s <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tom-cruise-dances-first-teaser-digger-11872160\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Digger;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Digger&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>Digger<\/em><\/a>  with Tom Cruise in theaters Oct. 2.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read the original article on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/riz-ahmed-felt-outsider-growing-up-like-modern-hamlet-exclusive-11944987\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:People;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;People&quot;}\" class=\"link \">People<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source nz.news.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEED TO KNOW Riz Ahmed takes on the titular role in Hamlet, director Aneil Karia&#8217;s big-screen adaptation of William Shakespeare\u2019s classic tragedy debuting in theaters April 10 Discovering the play in high school, Ahmed tells PEOPLE he connected with a character who felt like \u201cas much of an outsider as I did at that time\u201d [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2364158,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25177],"tags":[363184,346680,459350,359367,349207,354722],"class_list":["post-2364157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrities","tag-aneil-karia","tag-hamlet","tag-hamlet-movie","tag-riz-ahmed","tag-titular-character","tag-william-shakespeare"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Riz-Ahmed-Says-He-Felt-Like-an-Outsider-Growing-Up.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2364157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2364157"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2364157\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2364159,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2364157\/revisions\/2364159"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2364158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2364157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2364157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2364157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}