‘Hamlet’ Star Riz Ahmed: “Shakespeare’s Not Dead, He’s Been Kidnapped”

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For decades, Hollywood has adapted the works of William Shakespeare in many different ways. Some movies stay very close to the original stories, while others offer a fresh, modern take. Because of this, it’s easy to feel unenthusiastic about new adaptations – it often seems like everything’s been done before. However, Aneil Karia’s version of Hamlet is different. It keeps Shakespeare’s language but sets the story in modern-day London, focusing on a conflict within a South Asian community.

Riz Ahmed plays Hamlet, a prince struggling with his father’s recent death and his mother’s quick marriage to his uncle. Aware of the many previous versions and famous actors who’ve played the role, Ahmed didn’t try to ignore that history. He told MovieWeb that he considered how others had brought the character to life.

It’s amazing to build upon the work of so many incredible actors and filmmakers who have tackled Hamlet before – people like Laurence Olivier, Kenneth Branagh, and Ethan Hawke, as well as various international versions. It would be silly not to learn from them. We never worried about simply copying others because we approached the story with a fresh, unique perspective, rooted in our own lives and the particular details of our family. I was confident that our version of Hamlet would feel distinct and different from anything audiences had seen before.

I’ve been told this is the first film adaptation of Hamlet set in Shakespeare’s world with a non-white actor in the lead role. We embraced that unique perspective, and it was amazing to see such incredible performances. It really felt like we were contributing to a larger cultural discussion, which was fantastic.

It’s easy to be skeptical of another Shakespeare movie, especially with so many adaptations already out there, and these projects can sometimes seem overly ambitious. Riz Ahmed, who has been working on this film with Karia for around 15 years, is aware of these negative perceptions and hopes his movie will challenge them.

With this new version of the play, I really wanted to create something relatable for everyone, so people could see themselves in the story. When I was growing up, I rarely saw characters like me in these kinds of plays, and it made me feel like an outsider. I believe Shakespeare’s work isn’t outdated – it’s been misinterpreted and made inaccessible by those in power and academics.

If I could talk to my younger self, the one who felt like an outsider and thought the best stories weren’t for them, I’d want them to know those stories are for them, and they do belong. A lot of that feeling changed because the director, Aneil Karia, really focused on making the experience feel raw, realistic, and deeply emotional.

This performer is incredibly talented, and his name has been mentioned for several popular roles, including James Bond. In a unique twist, he even played a character in the Prime Video series Bait who becomes famous for trying out for the same role. When considering other well-known figures he might portray, his aim is always to deliver a performance that surprises everyone.

There are so many amazing, well-established characters in everything from comics to classic plays. What I’ve always found interesting isn’t simply playing a character someone else has done before, but using a familiar character to tell a completely fresh story. That’s what we’re aiming for with our versions of Hamlet and Bait.

We’re aiming to share a unique story by reimagining a well-known tale.

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2026-04-08 23:05