Actor Riz Ahmed is always a reliably strong performer, and he's built a solid resume to match his talent. One of his most high-profile roles was in 2016's "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story." Ahmed played Bodhi Rook, an Imperial pilot from planet Jedha who defects to the Rebellion with vital info on the Death Star. But you may not remember that just from the "Rogue One" prequel series "Andor," since Ahmed/Bodhi is nowhere to be seen.
On the press tour for his new thriller movie "Relay," Ahmed was asked about being left out of "Andor" during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. While joking about a Bodhi Rook solo movie, Ahmed confirmed he didn't mind not appearing because he knew it was for the best with "Andor" creator Tony Gilroy's vision:
"[Gilroy] has got such an intricate way of plotting things, and he felt that bringing my character in would mess with timelines and the way he'd plotted lots of stuff through. But as a fan, I think 'Andor' is kind of perfect, so I wouldn't mess with it or have it any other way."
Ahmed's acting career is intertwined with the Gilroy family. His breakout role was in 2014's "Nightcrawler," written and directed by Tony Gilroy's brother, Dan. Ahmed proved with "Nightcrawler" he could hold his own against Jake Gyllenhaal giving 110%, so no surprise Lucasfilm locked down the rising star for a "Star Wars" movie.
"Rogue One" was directed by Gareth Edwards, but Tony Gilroy (who never saw himself making a "Star Wars" movie) oversaw reshoots, giving Ahmed a chance to work with the other Gilroy brother. When Disney was struggling to make a spin-off show about Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) work, they again called up Gilroy, resulting in the "kind of perfect" version of "Andor" that so many (Ahmed included) love.