Riz Ahmed has revealed that Homeland Security prevented him from boarding a plane to a Star Wars convention in Chicago last month.
The 36-year-old British actor born in London, who played Bodhi Rook in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, blamed the incident on ‘racial profiling’ and confirmed that he’s often stopped and searched at airports.
Discussing the horrific ordeal at the CAA Amplify conference, Riz admitted: ‘It’s really scary to be a Muslim right now, super scary.
‘I’ve often wondered, is this going to be the year when they round us up, if this is going to be the year they put Trump’s registry into action. If this is going to be the year they ship us all off.’
At the time of the star’s cancellation, the Star Wars Celebration posted: ‘We’re so sorry to announce that due to circumstances beyond his control, Riz Ahmed will be canceling his full appearance.
‘Attendees can use their current Riz Ahmed tickets to exchange at the Topps Help Desk throughout the weekend.’
Riz went on to discuss that Hollywood needs to be more careful in its portrayal of Muslims, adding: ‘I think lives are quite literally at stake here.
‘The representation of Muslims on screen – that feeds the policies that get enacted, the people that get killed, the countries that get invaded.’
Riz in TV has previously spoken out against the limited roles for Asian characters and film, admitting he consciously opted against taking on the role of ‘terrorist’.
‘I just made a decision I wasn’t going to do it. I thought, “I’d rather be broke”, ‘ he said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
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