Oscar Winner Recounts His Brutal ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ Audition

Oscar-winning actor Riz Ahmed has revealed why he never got a callback when auditioning for both lead and supporting roles in Danny Boyle’s Best Picture Winner Slumdog Millionaire. In his audition, in front of the Oscar-winning director of The Beach, Trainspotting, and 28 Days Later, Ahmed perhaps channelled the volatile older-brother character, Salim Malik, a little too forcefully. “I can’t remember exactly what happened in the audition. But I remember it ended with me… holding Danny Boyle up against the wall,” Ahmed told CBS News. “I’d ripped his shirt open. And a couple of the buttons popped off,” he continued. “And he goes, ‘All right, thanks a lot, Riz. Thanks for coming in. Appreciate that.’” Needless to say, he did not land the role, which eventually went to actor Madhur Mittal. Dev