Podbit · On Purpose with Jay Shetty
Riz Ahmed used to think acting was about putting on a mask. Now he thinks it's about taking one off. The most personal thing is the most universal thing — which is why Bait is built entirely from his own insecurities, neuroses, and real life.
Where this was said
At 37:10 · chapter starts 32:07
Riz Ahmed shares something he says he has never discussed publicly before. In 2015, one week into filming Star Wars: Rogue One — his first ever studio movie — he woke up unable to get out of bed. What he initially dismissed as a pulled muscle rapidly worsened. He ended up at the hospital where he was born, near his parents' home, and was immediately told to be admitted. His response — 'I can't, I'm filming Star Wars' — was met with blunt medical urgency. He spent 2.5 months in hospital. [1] — Riz Ahmed "Riz Ahmed started filming Star Wars: Rogue One — his first-ever studio movie — and one week in, woke up unable to walk. He was hospitalised…" 37:20 His weight dropped to just under 50 kilograms. He couldn't lift his arms or swallow food — a darkly ironic detail given that his cast and crew kept sending meals to his ward. While friends texted in excitement about his Star Wars set photos appearing online, he was trying to attract a nurse's attention so he wouldn't wet the bed. He describes the entire episode as drawing directly on the autobiography of Mogul Mowgli, the film he later made about an artist who suddenly loses the ability to walk.
Riz Ahmed started filming Star Wars: Rogue One — his first-ever studio movie — and one week in, woke up unable to walk. He was hospitalised for 2.5 months, dropped to under 50 kilograms, and feared he might die. While friends texted about his Star Wars photos, he was desperately trying to get a nurse's attention so he wouldn't wet the bed.
Riz Ahmed spent 2.5 months in hospital with an autoimmune condition that left him unable to walk, dropping to under 50 kilograms, during the filming of Star Wars: Rogue One.
During his hospitalisation Riz Ahmed's weight fell to just under 50 kilograms — approximately 100 pounds — and he lost the ability to lift his arms or swallow food.
Steven Pressfield's insight: don't wait for the commitment to feel real before acting like a professional. Set up the studio. Make the schedule. Show up. Commitment doesn't precede action — it follows it. You act like a pro first, and your brain catches up with justifications after. The action is the commitment.
Robby Hoffman isn't fearless — she's terrified all the time. The difference is she does it anyway, because not doing it feels worse than the fear itself.
John Mulaney texted Robby Hoffman out of nowhere saying he'd been a fan for a while and wanted to make a Netflix special with her. Robby called it 'shocking, horrifying, anxiety-inducing, surreal and thrilling' — and said yes.
Mulaney is buttoned-up, suit-wearing, classy. Robby is gritty, raw, and undefined. Together they made the collab nobody expected. Batman and Robin. Eminem and Dido.
Music had Pope Gregory forcing notation. Comedy has had 'magical thinking' — he's just got funny bones. But jokes work through discoverable, teachable mechanics. Writing down the rules doesn't kill the magic; it gives more people access to it.
Howard Ashman had one insight nobody else had: animated Disney films should be Broadway musicals. The third song of every great musical is the character sitting alone explaining what they want. That's 'Part of Your World.' That structure — combined with Alan Menken's compositions — generated Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King, and turned Disney Animation into the most profitable creative engine in entertainment history.
The Lion King musical has been running for 30 years across Broadway, London's West End, and global touring companies. It has grossed over $11 billion in total revenue — more than Avatar, more than Avengers: Endgame, more than any album, more than any video game. It generates an average of $350 million in revenue every single year. Disney owns it outright.
The anonymous French artist Invader has hidden 1,500 pixelated mosaic artworks across Paris alone, with thousands more scattered across 80+ cities — affixed to the Eiffel Tower, the Hollywood sign, and even sent to the International Space Station. He might be even busier than Banksy.
The Flash Invaders app turns city streets into a treasure hunt, letting players scan Invader's hidden mosaics for points. Players have collectively logged over 47 million flashes. Unlike most mobile games that glue you to a screen, this one forces you to look up and engage with your surroundings.
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