The Mishal Husain Show

Hamlet, James Bond and SNL UK: Riz Ahmed on Reinventing Cultural Icons

The Mishal Husain Show

Show Notes

A new and radical take on Shakespeare’s Hamlet is out in US cinemas. The force behind it is actor, writer, producer and musician Riz Ahmed. He says the 400-year-old story has never felt more current.

Ahmed, Oscar-nominated for Sound of Metal and star of the Oscar-winning live-action short The Long Goodbye, has a new series on Prime Video called Bait. It’s a black comedy about an actor on the cusp of a life-changing role as James Bond. In this conversation with Mishal Husain, Ahmed talks about creativity and politics, discusses his upcoming movie with Tom Cruise and how becoming a father affected his acting.

Read this interview with Mishal’s notes on Bloomberg Weekend: www.bloomberg.com/latest/weekend-interview

02:32 - Hamlet “never goes out of fashion" 03:39 - “The old order is falling apart” 05:00 - “Is it the world that’s gone crazy or is it me?” 07:50 - The dream of playing Hamlet 09:51 - To be, or not to be is “misunderstood” 13:40 - “It's authentic. I'm not acting” 17:00 - Bait “it’s a very personal show” 17:24 - Why Barbara Broccoli said yes to using Bond 21:43 - Looking for acceptance 22:34 - “Culture works in cycles” 25:04 - Acting was an extension of real life 28:20 - “I don’t like being pinned down” 28:42 - SNL UK 30:01 - Working with Tom Cruise 32:21 - “My weekends are really simple” Contact The Mishal Husain Show [email protected] Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More from The Mishal Husain Show

Oct 23, 2026

India’s “Cockroach” protests have returned to the streets of Delhi, and just as the country faces intensifying challenges from abroad, including fallout from the Iran war and tensions with the US, China and Pakistan. In a conversation on the sidelines of Bloomberg’s New Economy Forum in New Delhi last week, Suhasini Haidar, diplomatic editor for The Hindu, unpacks India’s shifting place in the world and Gen Z discontent at home. Contact The Mishal Husain Show [email protected] Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 20, 2026

In this conversation recorded at Bloomberg’s New Economy Forum in New Delhi, Mishal Husain talks to Rory McIlroy about his career as one of the world’s top professional golfers. McIlroy is one of a very small group of men to have achieved a career grand slam, winning all four major golf tournaments. Now he’s looking to what might be next. They also discuss the LIV Golf breakaway league, the behavior of fans and the future of the game. Contact The Mishal Husain Show [email protected] Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 16, 2026

Best known as a member of Monty Python, Michael Palin has been many things — sketch writer, comedian, actor, and for almost four decades, world traveler. In his latest series, “Michael Palin in the Philippines” - on UK channel 5 - Palin meets the nation’s president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., visits an overcrowded prison and witnesses firsthand rising tensions in the South China Sea. In his conversation with Mishal Husain, he speaks about what his travels have taught him, the realities of seeing the world in his 80s and Monty Python’s unlikely diplomatic power. Contact The Mishal Husain Show [email protected] Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 9, 2026

As US journalist Azadeh Moaveni was writing her latest book, ‘The East Wing’, a history of America's first ladies and their staff, President Donald Trump’s demolition of that very part of the White House was underway. Moaveni presents her book as a “parallel women’s history,” tracing how the wives of US presidents, who traditionally had offices in the now-vanished annex, helped shape alliances at home and abroad. Moaveni, a journalism professor at New York University, is a longtime reporter on Iran and the Middle East. She explains in her conversation with Mishal Husain how when she took on the project, Iran seemed unusually quiet. Then the US and Israel attacked. Here, she reflects on a seismic year in the US and around the world. Contact The Mishal Husain Show [email protected] Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 2, 2026

Amid the furious debate over the pace and potential risks of AI development, top tech executives have publicly united around a call for their industry to be regulated. As Google's senior vice president of technology and society, James Manyika says his role is to help ensure artificial intelligence turns out well for the company and the rest of us. But with US President Donald Trump rejecting new guardrails and public skepticism about the motivations of AI giants calling for them, proponents of the technology face an increasingly tough room. In this conversation with Mishal Husain, Manyika explains why he hopes that worries about AI – from job destruction to the more existential – won’t dampen enthusiasm about its possibilities. Read Mishal’s notes on this conversation https://www.bloomberg.com/mishal Contact The Mishal Husain Show [email protected] Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See all episodes →