Riz Ahmed is always a delight to talk to! It seems like I talk to him every year beginning with “Sound of Metal” four years ago, then “Encounter” followed by “Nimona.” Now, the Oscar-nominated actor is back in the fantastic paranoid thriller “Relay.” He plays a fixer helping his not-so-damsel-in-distress client played by Lily James.
I spent some time with both Ahmed and James to talk about their interest in making the film, their characters, and their dynamics.
After exploring the badlands in “Hell or High Water” and the Scottish Highlands in “Outlaw King,” David Mackenzie is now going deep down into the gritty urban corporate decay in “Relay.”
In the film, Riz Ahmed is a fixer who brokers payoffs on behalf of corrupt corporations. He uses relay services to communicate with clients. Lily James is one of those clients who may need his protection.
In this interview, Mackenzie talks about his interest in directing the film, working with Ahmed and James, and the technical aspects of his film including the tone and pacing.
“Relay” from Bleecker Street is opening in theaters on August 22nd.
