excited as I wear flat caps all the time! So
it was like a souvenir, a photo moment
for about 10 seconds, with Tom Burke
(OMT), who’s in an amazing rock band
called ‘GoCitizens’ – that was pretty
special. I am meeting the Queen in 10
days. I met her once before and she just
seems incredibly normal, if you can get
past the jewellery.
Do you find it hard to fit your
music in now with all the film
commitments?
I still end up splitting my time 50/50. I’m
never going to be that person that does
a film or TV show because there’s one
going, and they want you to do it, and the
pay is good. If I don’t feel excited about
something I won’t do it.
In acting you inevitably there’s a
certain plasticity, to get into role you
have to be malleable? Did you learn
that at school?
Yes I think I learnt that growing up. I
learnt that living between what was
inside my home and at school. It was
also the different world I got to see
through school, you know I would never
have ended up randomly at lovely
pool parties in Radlett if I hadn’t gone
to Taylors’. Nor would I have seen an
aspirational Asian middle class lifestyle
in Northwood. Going to MTS definitely
broadened my horizon socially, and
I think as actor to experience these
different things in life is important.
Given that humanist sense, I would
like to talk to you about your charity
work. You told me you were involved
with the Pakistani diaspora?
I am trying to set up a leadership force
that empowers the next generation of
Pakistanis at home and abroad and
the way to do that is first and foremost
is connecting them. I believe that
connections between talented peer reaps
unforeseen dividends that will be rich
down the line. It’s called Rasta which
means pathway and one of the things
that inspired me was seeing lots of my
Jewish friends at MTS being members
of youth groups or organisations like
BBYO (B’nai B’rith Youth Organization)
who connected with their Jewish peers in
the UK and peers from around the world.
So the aim is to connect the Pakistani
diaspora who are in their 20s and 30s in
Riz with The Observer’s film critic – and fellow OMT –
Jason Solomons at the BAFTA new films screening
I think it does
give you a sense
of the importance
of giving people
opportunities they
may not otherwise
have had
Concordia
Merchant Taylors’ School
London, New York with Karachi in a big
kind of get together. But it is not a get
together like a party, it’s about dealing
with social problems in Pakistani cities
and challenging them to come up with
creative solutions, to explore that problem
by going out there and checking out those
responsible for the sewers and the people
whose houses are flooded by the sewage
and the people whose job it is to clean the
sewage and to meet the Minister who is in
charge of the sewers that understands the
complex dimensions of the problem and
to challenge them to solve that problem.
Their feedback may not be implemented
by those in power or the stakeholders,
but that is not the point: the point is
the key leadership and analytical skills
young people learn and to reconnect
them globally and bond them in a unique
experience.
You are also closely involved with
some of the disaffected kids in the
Southwark area. Tell me about that
project.
There are two types of projects I am
involved with now. One is called STEP, a
theatre education programme that could
provide learning and training courses for
young people in the community given
by people who work in the professional
theatre. You see how much talent is
Riz opposite Kiefer Sutherland
