Riz Ahmed Clarifies That ‘Bait’ Isn’t a James Bond Show, But Barbara Broccoli Approved It
BAIT
Section: Episodic
Creator: Riz Ahmed
In a compelling exploration of the complexities faced by actors, “BAIT” follows Shah Latif, a struggling performer, as he auditions for a transformative role. Over the course of four intense days, his life unravels in unexpected ways.
Panelists Riz Ahmed and Guz Khan discussed the creation and themes of the series. Ahmed noted the show’s connection to the James Bond archetype. He stated, “I started making notes in my little notepad 10 years ago now, about that crazy distance between our public and our private selves. On the outside, it’s like, ‘Wow, you’re killing it man. You’re doing great!’ And the waiter comes up, it’s time to tip. ‘Oh, they think I’m really successful right now, I gotta send a big tip.’ You’re broke. These things happen, these contradictions between how we’re perceived, how we want to be perceived, and how we are. That’s what the show is really about.”
Ahmed further elaborated on the collaborative development of the series, saying, “It was through discussing with my co-showrunner Ben Karlin, we were talking about our lives, our experiences, funny anecdotes, and the Bond thing came up. And I was like, ‘Actually, that’s the perfect aspirational symbol that can help drive the story of someone who aspires to be someone else.’ But that’s not where the show grew out of; it was a conversation with Barbara Broccoli, who understood that and understood the show’s not really about that. And yet, gave her blessing; she really loved the script.”
The series is distributed by Amazon MGM Studios.
