Riz Ahmed opens up about going through ‘grueling’ weight loss for ‘Mogul Mowgli’

British actor Riz Ahmed revealed that he had to lose 22 pounds in only three weeks for his film, Mogul Mowgli.

During an interview with IndieWire, the 38-year-old Oscar-nominated actor said he was able to do that through the assistance of professional dieticians.

“I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. It was really grueling and took me emotionally to an intense place, which probably informed the movie,” he said.

That was a big part of it, being in a place of weakness and fatigue and insatiable hunger,” he added.

The film, co-written by Ahmed and director Bassam Tariq, encircles the life of a British-Pakistani rapped named Zed, diagnosed with degenerative autoimmune disease.

Ahmed went on to quote his fellow actor Daniel Kaluuya when talking about the role’s physical demands.

“Dan Kaluuya said something I liked: ‘If you’re in your head, you’re dead,'” the British actor said. “I think that’s true. Acting has to be in your body. Anything that brings you into your body centers you, and you can perform in that place.”