The problem with painting the Mughals as being tolerant depends on which emperor you are referring to, even which part of your reign. Under Akbar, tolerance was the norm due to his upbringing. But Aurengzeb, who destroyed Hindu temples and forced religious conversions? I'd pass on that form of tolerance.

He's a really good actor. Period.

great article

Beautiful, beautiful writing and an artwork of a portrait until the last 5 sentences.

I enjoyed reading this profile. Riz Ahmed is a worthy subject and Carvell is a talented writer. However, I was taken aback by a couple of the writer's descriptions of events. He goes on a long riff about how people in the Met lobby wouldn't recognize this slight South Asian man as the superstar he is. Immediately prior to this, the writer notes he and Riz are seated at brunch sharing food at a 'white cafe'. I, a South Asian woman, happened to be seated next to them that day. Of course, I recognized Riz as soon as he arrived but waited until he was leaving to publicly laud him for his work. After he left, the two millennial women (one South Asian, the other East Asian) sitting next to me and my friend burst into squeals of delight. Not only did they recognize him but they were megafans who'd gone to several of his concerts as well as seen everything he'd done. I think the writer was getting at the fact that *white* people wouldn't recognize Riz, which is fine but he might have made that clear. Also the 'white cafe' was a Brazilian restaurant with at least three POC patrons in the immediate vicinity of their table, as described, and a few others further afield.

I subscribe to The New York Times so that my mind can be challenged, inspired and expanded by gorgeous writing like this. It's a joy to learn about an extraordinary person like Riz Ahmed through the lens of Carvell Wallace. Thank you.

Ahmed's searing performance in "The Night Of" was enough to make me a lifelong fan. This thoughtful profile only deepens my respect and appreciation.

Great interview, if a bit long. But the real stunner is that opening gif of Ahmed opening his eyes. Brilliant!

A very cool piece of writing. Thank you.

Really fascinating read. It gets you thinking and feeling a lot of different things, and brings understanding on a lot of levels. I appreciated this article for so many reasons. Now I will look for him in all the films mentioned.

He is my favorite actor by far of his generation. I'm also a huge Swet Shop Boys fan. I first saw him in the film adaptation of "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" and while I think Kate Hudson was miscast, Riz perfectly captured the character from the novel. I've been struck by his intellect, empathy, and curiosity in every interview I've read or watched, but this is one of the best profiles I've read in a while of an artist.

What a glorious piece! You can feel the energy of Ahmed literally jumping off the page. I look forward to watching him continue to grow and expand his creative universe. And now I'm hungry for some quinoa!

What an amazing in depth interview/column of one of my favorite up and coming (if you can still call him that) actors. Great read, Forgive me if I can condense the massive breath of information and insight into what I perceive to be the heart of it. - knowledge is power and with knowledge (at least for some) is the hunger for even more knowledge and experience. If you couple that knowledge with an aversion to speak to power and expand every single box that is thrust upon oneself, then you have a full fledged human being, He happens to be one, as well as a great actor, musician and thinker. If only there were more ... (especially in the political realm) I look forward to his next projects.