NEW YORK – Riz Ahmed received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of a drummer who loses his hearing in the 2019 film “Sound of Metal.” But the British actor admits that prior to “Relay” (in theaters now), he had not heard of a relay service, which is utilized by people with impaired hearing.
In his new movie, Ahmed plays Ash, a “fixer” who brokers deals between corrupt corporations and whistleblowers by using a relay service. The service allows a deaf or hard-of-hearing person to type a message to a phone operator, who then relays that message to the intended recipient.
“The interesting twist is that this relay service doesn’t take any notes,” he adds. “There’s no surveillance possible. You can’t get a search warrant, you can’t get a wiretap.”
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The broker uses the relay service to maintain anonymity. However, he faces a new dilemma when Sarah (Lily James), a whistleblower seeking Ash’s services, also needs his protection to stay alive.
“He’s living the dream in a way,” Ahmed jokes of his character’s untraceability; Ash lives off the grid but his lifestyle comes with the price of loneliness. “That’s where he meets Lily’s character and that’s why their connection becomes so important to him.”
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Riz Ahmed plays an addict in ‘Relay,’ a role he’s familiar with
A similarity between Ahmed’s characters in “Sound of Metal” and “Relay” is addiction. As the actor prepared for the former film, he attended Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings in New York.
“I immersed myself into the recovery scene, going to meetings, speaking to people,” Ahmed recalls, noting he also became familiar with recovery while preparing for 2014’s “Nightcrawler.” “Those meetings save people’s lives. And in a world where so many of us feel alone and disconnected, I think there’s a real sense of community that people can draw from that. And of course, my character is very alone.”
Ash lives in New York City, where production for the film took place amid the typical energy that Manhattan exhibits daily, commuters and tourists included.
“We wouldn’t try and control the streets,” Ahmed says of how director David Mackenzie works. “Ducking and diving through Chinatown, running through the theater district, even the yellow cabs, Times Square. You can’t control New York, so you have to just let it into the film.”
Ahmed also recalls one scene that seemed so real, New Yorkers intervened.
“I remember Sam Worthington had a moment where he was arguing with someone, one of the other characters in the street, and passersby stopped and they tried to break up the argument,” Ahmed says of his co-star. “Things were just kind of on edge in that way as we were creating this because we had to move fast.”
Production often took place at night, when filmmakers worked quickly for safety. “New York City at nighttime, interesting things happen and interesting people come out,” Ahmed says. “So that energy is infused into this story.”
Riz Ahmed’s character doesn’t speak for the first 30 minutes of ‘Relay’
Ash has no dialogue for the first 30 minutes of “Relay” as the audience is shown how the broker uses the relay service to render deals between parties. The idea of acting without speaking is part of what drew Ahmed to the role.
Often in movies, “things can be spelled out a bit too clearly,” the actor says. “I really like it when there’s a bit of mystery. … It just makes it all the more satisfying when you do fully get a picture of who my character is and what is driving him.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Riz Ahmed plays an addict in ‘Relay.’ Here’s how he prepared.
