Well done to Fourth Year student Muhammad who stars as a younger version of acclaimed actor Riz Ahmed in the Amazon Prime original series ‘Bait’, which was released earlier this year.
The series follows a struggling British-Pakastani actor as he auditions for a major role and experiences the family relations and backlash that follows.
Muhammad was selected after two rounds of auditions which saw him having to read a scene and ‘vibe with a rap as if he was really into it’. After successfully getting through both auditions, the filming took place in summer 2024, just before Muhammad joined Trinity in Year 9.
Muhammad said, “The experience of filming was intense but also exciting as I had to do some stunt work (even though the main stunts were performed by a stunt double). I learnt that a lot of work goes into each scene even if it’s very short. It was great to work with Riz Ahmed on set and off set, and he was very humble and welcoming.”
While this credit saw Muhammad’s first major TV appearance, he has been acting professionally for four years, having already been an extra in the film Bugonia and the TV series Cheaters on BBC iPlayer. He has also starred in a handful of plays most recently performing at Shakespeare’s Globe and the Battersea Arts Centre for some Open Iftar events. Muhammad got into acting through LAMDA, where his coach spotted his potential.
The first three episodes of Bait premiered at the Sundance Festival in January, generating a lot of interest, before launching on Amazon Prime at the end of March. Since then, the response for the show has been fantastic, with a 95% Rotten Tomatoes rating and reviews calling it “extraordinary and daring” (Telegraph).
Muhammed said, “It has been quite interesting seeing the response to the release of the series as it touched on some serious topics which would be relatable to some people but it has also been talked about a good amount and I have enjoyed seeing some of the responses to the series.”
Muhammad hopes to write and star in his own TV series in the future, where he addresses serious topics and takes inspiration from his own life.
Well done Muhammed, we can’t wait to see what the future holds!
