Sorry. Thank you: Riz Ahmed on getting Digger role over Fahadh Faasil, Vir Das

Academy Award-winning actor Riz Ahmed has addressed Indian actors Fahadh Faasil and Vir Das after landing a role in Alejandro G. Inarritu’s upcoming satirical dark comedy Digger, which stars Tom Cruise. Both Fahadh and Vir Das had auditioned for the film, with Ahmed eventually being cast in the role of Ganesh.In a recent interaction with SCREEN, Ahmed was asked what message he would like to give Fahadh and Vir Das after getting the part. His response was brief but warm.“Sorry. Thank you for your incredible work, and I hope we get to work together,” Ahmed said.Both Fahadh and Vir Das had previously spoken publicly about their attempts to land a role in Digger. Fahadh, in particular, revealed that the audition process involved working extensively on his accent for the part. In a conversation with Cue Studio, Fahadh said the filmmaker did not find his accent convincing enough. He was asked to travel to the US and stay there for three or four months to perfect it. However, the commercial aspects of the arrangement did not work out. “To perfect the accent, I was told to go to the US and stay there for three or four months. But they weren't ready to pay for that. That's why I skipped it. Otherwise, I would have gone running. The commercial aspects of it wouldn't have worked out. Also, to bother so much for an accent, I didn’t feel that kind of fire for it,” Fahadh had said.Vir Das had also revealed that he auditioned for Digger twice. Following the release of the film’s trailer, he took to X to share his disappointment at not making the cut. He later deleted the post.“Gave two auditions for this. They went with Riz Ahmed. Was severely crestfallen, but that's life. This script is insanity, in such a good way,” Das wrote. Screenshot of Vir Das's now-deleted tweet Ahmed will now be seen as Ganesh in the film, which marks his collaboration with filmmaker Alejandro G. Inarritu and Tom Cruise. The film also stars John Goodman, Sandra Huller, Michael Stuhlbarg and Jesse Plemons.Digger follows a powerful oil tycoon, played by Cruise, who attempts to prove that he can save humanity from a disaster he has unleashed. The film is scheduled for an international release on September 30, followed by its North American release on October 2.For Ahmed, the role comes after a career that has seen him move between independent cinema, major Hollywood productions and music. The British-Pakistani actor gained international recognition with films including Nightcrawler, Jason Bourne and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, before earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for Sound of Metal.He later won an Oscar as a producer for the live-action short film The Long Goodbye in 2022.- Ends