Riz Ahmed used to impersonate Michael Jackson for his family when he was a child.
The 36-year-old actor-and-rapper was obsessed with the late King of Pop when he was growing up and he used to love to learn Michael’s extravagant dance routines and then act them out for his relatives.
Speaking to Mojo magazine, he said: "I guess I used to want to be Michael Jackson at one point. I used to impersonate him and do moonwalks, all that s**t, at big family gatherings, which would basically be like, having a full body spasm in a circle of clapping middle-aged Pakistani uncles."
The ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ actor still regards Michael’s ‘Bad’ as his favourite album, because it made such a big impression on him when he was younger.
Asked his all-time favourite LP is, he said: "That’s a really difficult question, I hate you for asking that. Maybe Michael Jackson’s ‘Bad’. It was the first major album in my life – I was about six – and it’s still really hard to f**k with that."
However, the first record Riz ever bought himself was by Michael’s pop rival Prince album, because he’d seen one of his music videos and was excited by the "porn" feel of the promo.
He explained: "I bought Prince & The New Power Generation’s ‘Diamonds and Pearls’ on CD from Woolworths. I’d seen the music video for ‘Gett Off’, which was really sexual and horny, in Top Shop or something. It was my first attempt to buy porn really."
The ‘Venom’ star – who is also known as Riz MC – never sings in the shower, but he finds it a very creative place.
He said: "I don’t sing – I think [in the shower]. It’s one of the only places where the pestilence of the phone isn’t around our f***ing necks, that’s why it’s one of the most creative places."
Riz Ahmed was Jacko impersonator
