Weekend with Aasiya Shah: ‘Walk around and listen to the birds’
The actor on her ideal Saturday spent going on a run and eating dim sum, and what it was like to work on Riz Ahmed’s series Bait
Aasiya Shah is an actor from east London. She recently starred as Q, the youngest Latif family member, in Riz Ahmed’s comedy series Bait. She made her debut on stage in Lyndsey Turner’s 2015 adaptation of Tipping the Velvet and went on to appear in a number of TV shows and films including Raised by Wolves and We May Regret This.
Her new series Believe Me, about the survivors of the serial rapist John Worboys, is coming soon to ITV.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What does your ideal Saturday morning look like?
In an ideal world, I’m getting up early, like 6.30am, hopefully it’s sunny outside. And then I go downstairs, I have a stretch, go for a run. I come back, shower and then I’m out the door to meet my buddies in Walthamstow Wetlands to walk around and listen to the birds. I’ll stay there as long as physically possible.
Where is best for running in Chingford?
Sometimes I like to run through the Wetlands but the geese there… they’re a little bit intimidating, it’s a bit risky.
There are loads of nice places in Chingford. Highams Park Lake, for example. Sometimes I just do a bog-standard run around the block — the A406, breathe in that heavy metal.
Have you ever had an altercation with a goose?
So many. Most of them are a silent standoff where the mummy goose just stands in your path, will not move and will do that thing with her wings where she’s like: “Try me.” Then I just turn around and run the other way.
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What do you do once the sun sets?
I’ll go to my buddy’s house and we’ll watch old episodes of Come Dine With Me. I’ll drink tea and eat biscuits, and then I’m going to jump on the tube into Chinatown to the Prince Charles Cinema. Then I’ll go to Dumplings’ Legend around the corner because they’re open really late.
What’s your dim sum order?
Steamed prawn for me. Yummy, yummy.
Do you prefer cinema or television?
I love both. They give me something different, but I probably watch TV more. If I sit down and watch a film, it feels like a whole event. I have to be in the right mindset.
What do you like to watch?
Faking It, an old Channel 4 reality show from the 2000s. There is an episode where this guy who is a lawyer has three weeks to train to be a garage MC and he has to do a show and be convincing. He is this super-posh guy and really puts his whole heart and soul into it. It’s admirable. I think he’s really inspiring. Everyone should watch it.
Speaking of shows everyone should watch, what was it like working on Bait?
It was the best thing — dream-level-type stuff. Everyone was so talented and cool and interesting and weird.
The best thing was that a week before we shot one of the episodes, my big sister — who works as an extra on set from time to time — got an email to work on the show. Just through sheer kismet she got booked for it. It was magical. I saw her on set and she has a little cameo for the Eid episode. We did not orchestrate it at all. There was no nepotism occurring, just these forces greater than us pushed us together.
Did it make the set feel more like home?
In this line of work it often feels like there is a gap between your work and your home. We actually did have one moment where we interacted. It was cut, sadly, but in that scene she comes in and asks something of my character and I say: “Alright baji”. It felt magical.
Do you think you might ever step behind the camera?
I’m gagging to. This might be a dumb reason to get into it, but recently my skin was having a mad breakout and I had this vision of myself wearing all black, my hair in a messy bun. I’ve got a monitor in front of me and I don’t have to worry about my skin. What a life. I’d love to direct.
Screen or stage?
A play. Theatre is my first love. Stage gives you all these choices about the set and you have an audience who will physically experience it. Even the smell of the theatre — I think that’s not explored enough.
What would your play smell like?
A shisha lounge. That almost bubblegummy, kind of powdery, but smoky sort of smell. It’s such a powerful scent and aroma. It’s so atmospheric and moody.
What are you working on at the moment?
I’ve got an ITV drama coming out called Believe Me. It’s a true crime series about these incredible survivors who endured so much. It is from the women’s perspective and I think it’s really important that the show was made to give these people voices.
But, right now, I’m working on nothing. I’m living my life. I’m working on my spirit, my soul, my energy.
