Riz Ahmed has never been one for half measures. From his breakout turns in gritty British indies to his Oscar-winning performance in Sound of Metal, the London-born actor and musician has built a career on intensity, intelligence and a refusal to be boxed in. Now, in an exclusive conversation with Shortlist, Ahmed turns his sharply observant gaze on subjects as varied as his dream of playing James Bond, the one kebab shop he swears by in the capital, and the surprising identity of the best-smelling man in showbusiness. What emerges is a revealing portrait of a modern leading man who is as serious about representation and storytelling as he is about late-night grill spots and the peculiar rituals of Hollywood glamour.
Riz Ahmed reveals his ultimate London kebab spot and why it beats the rest
He doesn’t hesitate.”Green Lanes,” Riz says, leaning forward like he’s about to disclose a state secret. “You go past midnight, it’s still buzzing, still feeding people who’ve just finished a late shift or a gig. That’s when you know it’s real.” For him,the benchmark is simple: blistered flatbread that’s actually baked to order,lamb that tastes of smoke and not just salt,and chilli sauce that “doesn’t just blow your head off,but actually has flavor.” The place he swears by – a no-frills Turkish grill with steamed-up windows and football on the TV – is, in his words, “where the city actually eats, not where it pretends to eat on Instagram.”
- Freshly baked bread – served still steaming, with charred edges
- Charcoal-grilled meat – marinated all day, never reheated
- Proper chilli and garlic sauces – house-made, not from a bottle
- Late-night crowd – cabbies, nurses, musicians, not tourists
| Spot | What Riz orders | Why it wins |
|---|---|---|
| Green Lanes grill | Mixed lamb wrap, extra chilli | “Flame, flavour, no fuss.” |
| Central London fave | Chicken shawarma | “Good, but it’s for after meetings.” |
| Trendy pop-up | Vegan special | “Fun, but it’s a costume kebab.” |
What makes his chosen joint unbeatable, he argues, isn’t just the food but the democracy of the room: “You’ve got a guy in a hoodie next to someone in a suit, everyone with lamb juice on their hands, all equal.” He laughs that it’s the “anti-red-carpet restaurant” – harsh lighting, tiled walls, zero ambience – but insists nothing else gets close when he’s back in London. For Ahmed, this is where the city’s rhythm is loudest: the hiss of the grill, the clang of metal tongs, and the low murmur of people refuelling before disappearing back into the night.
Inside Riz Ahmed’s dream of playing Bond and how he would reinvent 007
Ahmed leans back,half-grinning at the idea of slipping into the tuxedo that’s defined British masculinity for six decades,and instantly starts pulling it apart.He talks about a version of the spy who’s less about martinis and more about moral hangovers, a man fluent in both geopolitics and grime lyrics, who might swap the casino in Monaco for a surveillance van in Wembley. For him, the appeal isn’t just the Aston Martin or the gadgets, it’s the chance to drag the character into the present: a British agent shaped by the capital’s multicultural streets, who can navigate a drone strike briefing as easily as a Southall curry house at 2am. As he sketches it out, you sense he’s less interested in wearing the crown than in rewiring the throne.
His wishlist for a modern incarnation reads like a manifesto rather than a fanboy fantasy:
- More vulnerability: a spy who can admit fear, not just hide it behind a punchline.
- Sharper politics: missions that question power rather of blindly serving it.
- Real London: estates, night buses and chicken shops, not just postcard skylines.
- Global roots: a backstory that reflects the diaspora reality of 21st-century Britain.
| Classic 007 | Riz’s 007 |
|---|---|
| Immaculate tux, unruffled | Scuffed suit, night-shift tired |
| Old boys’ clubs | Shisha bars and kebab joints |
| One-liners and seduction | Awkward honesty and accountability |
The best smelling man in showbiz according to Riz Ahmed and the fragrance behind it
Pressed on who owns the most hypnotic scent in Hollywood, Ahmed doesn’t hesitate: he names a fellow leading man whose presence, he says, “hits you before he’s even in the frame.” The actor in question walks onto set trailing a cloud of amber,vetiver and clean musk,the kind of composition that smells less like a product and more like impossible genetic luck. According to Ahmed, crew members time coffee breaks to coincide with his arrival; make-up artists linger, pretending to rearrange brushes.It’s become a quiet ritual on shoots: doors open, the fragrance arrives, and everyone straightens up a touch, as if someone crucial has just stepped into a very small, very fragrant elevator.
Behind the olfactory legend is a surprisingly disciplined routine. Colleagues say the star layers a minimalist grooming kit with a single, carefully rationed niche perfume – a juice that blends smoky incense, a restrained citrus top note and a drydown that clings to costumes long after wrap. In Ahmed’s telling, the secret isn’t drowning yourself in cologne but treating scent like a close-up: precise, deliberate, never overplayed. On set, the aroma has become shorthand for his brand of leading-man charisma – a signature as recognisable as his jawline or his billing on the call sheet.
- Signature vibe: Warm, clean, quietly expensive
- Key notes: Amber, vetiver, incense, musk
- Best setting: Night shoots, red carpets, long-haul flights
| On-Screen Persona | Scent Translation |
|---|---|
| Effortless leading man | Subtle projection, no cloying sweetness |
| Understated luxury | Dry woods over loud designer notes |
| Memorable exits | Long-lasting base that lingers on set |
How food film and fragrance shape Riz Ahmed’s life on and off screen
Ahmed traces his relationship with food back to crowded family kitchens in Wembley, where the sizzle of lamb on a tawa doubled as a kind of script rehearsal. On set, he says, catering is more than fuel; it’s a quiet barometer of morale and a way to keep characters alive between takes. Before an intense scene, he’ll pick at a small plate of grilled meat and rice to stay grounded, but after wrap he seeks out London’s late‑night kebab joints, chasing that perfect balance of char, chilli and smoke. He talks about food like a director breaking down a shot – texture, pacing, payoff – and it’s no coincidence that the roles he gravitates toward often involve characters for whom a shared meal is a turning point, a reveal or a reckoning.
- On-set comfort: strong tea,simple carbs,no heavy sauces
- Post-wrap ritual: kebab in the car,script pages on his lap
- Writing fuel: dal,pickles,and late-night leftovers
| Scene Type | Go-to Aroma | Effect on Performance |
|---|---|---|
| High-stakes drama | Oud & black pepper | Sharp focus,slow burn |
| Romantic tension | Orange blossom | Softens edges,adds warmth |
| Action sequence | Vetiver & citrus | Clean,adrenalised clarity |
Smell,for Ahmed,is the fastest route to memory,and he deploys it as quietly as a magician’s trick. A specific cologne becomes the invisible costume for each character; he’ll switch scents between roles so they never bleed into one another. Off camera, his bathroom shelf reads like a casting list of leading men, with a few bottles reserved for what he calls “Bond auditions in my head” – lean, precise fragrances that feel as tailored as a tux. In conversation, he namechecks the best-smelling men in the industry not by brand but by attitude: the co-star who layers incense over clean soap, the director who smells faintly of espresso and cedar. For Ahmed, these details aren’t vanity; they’re part of an unspoken language that connects life, performance and the lingering trace a character leaves behind when the cameras stop rolling.
In Summary
As ever with Ahmed, what lingers isn’t just the headline bait – the Bond talk, the celebrity shout-outs, the late-night kebab run – but the thoughtfulness underneath it all. Whether he’s weighing in on representation, dissecting the mechanics of a franchise juggernaut, or defending the humble döner as a cultural institution, he approaches each subject with the same mix of intelligence and mischief.
In an industry that too often rewards polish over perspective, Ahmed remains a rare thing: a leading man who’s as compelling in conversation as he is on screen. And if his blockbuster future does end up involving a certain tuxedo and a martini, it’s reassuring to know he’ll still be the kind of Bond who can point you to the best kebab in London on the way home.
