British actress and writer Ambreen Razia, renowned for her standout performances and critically acclaimed plays, takes on the role of Blair in Paramount+’s new series, The Agency. Starring Michael Fassbender and Richard Gere, the project promises to be a milestone in her career, further solidifying her impact on international television.
With a career that includes hits like Ted Lasso (Apple TV), Starstruck (BBC), and The Curse (Channel 4), as well as award-winning scripts and plays such as The Diary of a Hounslow Girl and Pot, Ambreen has established herself as one of the most influential voices of her generation. Recently, she has also contributed to writers’ rooms for acclaimed productions like We Are Lady Parts (Channel 4) and Extraordinary (Disney+) and is developing a new comedy-drama, Wasted. Ambreen combines her acting and writing talents with socially conscious roles, such as in her short film Dues, which addresses child exploitation, showcasing her versatility and dedication to tackling important issues.
The Agency explores a new side of your acting. How would you describe Blair, your character, and what drew you to this role alongside such renowned names as Michael Fassbender and Richard Gere?
I imagine Blair drives a sexy stylish Audi A6 to the office and no one dares to take her parking spot… she’s not the type to get intimidated because she’s confident she’ll find her way out of every situation. She’s slightly sociopathic, intelligent, Machiavellian and she suffers no fools. I’ve admired Michael’s working or a long time. I remember going into class and saying “Did anyone see Andrea Arnold’s film Fishtank? That Michael Fassbender’s great in it “and my classmate said “you do know you’ve seen him before” in this this and this, and it dawned on me that I had already watched him in a number of things – I think that’s the sign of a great actor. didn’t know Richard Gere was on board untill after I joined which was a huge delight along with the rest of the incredible cast.
Your portfolio is filled with remarkable characters. How does Blair in The Agency differ from other figures you’ve portrayed, such as Shandy Fine in Ted Lasso or Shivani in Starstruck?
The Agency is the longest series I’ve done which means teasing out the character in a different way to before, Shandy was a wild comedic energy who burst in and tried to turn Keely’s world upside down so I knew that my objective was fast fun and explosive. I think what’s so brilliant about being part of a long standing series is that you don’t have to give too much away immediately, the show focuses on the day to day as opposed to the sensationalised. It was important to feel imbedded in the world above all and allowing the audience into a very established world.
The Agency seems to have an ambitious premise. What was your experience working on a Paramount+ production? Is there anything about the storyline or behind the scenes that you think viewers will love?
The scale of the show felt huge from the get-go. Our director Joe Wright would arrive with a visually enhanced version to what was on the page which meant as an actor you just had to arrive with your character and a lot of fluidity and openness to play – it was pretty amazing. There are so many different storylines throughout and lots of pre-existing relationships that unravel over time. It’s entertaining yet insightful – a character will know where they stand one minute and the next the rug is pulled from beneath them. You can go from being a family to being expendable.
You’re both an actress and a writer. Did working on The Agency influence the projects you’re currently developing as a writer, such as the comedy-drama Wasted?
I guess whenever I get given a brilliant script like this one its always a gentle reminder that the bar is high out there, there’s always room to work a little harder, do another dreaded pass on the script. Wasted is about ancestry and addiction so I think safe to say no crossover there, but the Butterworth’s are masters of their craft in both film and television and the level of their scriptwriting is inspiring and a dream to be a part of.
Representation is a hallmark of your work. How do you see the importance of roles like Blair in The Agency within your career and the audiovisual industry as a whole?
I think representation means different things to different people. Ultimately it’s our job as artists to hold a mirror up to nature, it’s not our business whether the reflection is revolting or mundane or weird, it’s our job to show life in all its glory so people feel comfortable with their own imperfect humanity – beauty lies in the truth. Representation to me in my 20’s was trying to introduce the idea that we were allowed talk about something other than the partition through poeticism, reminiscence and hardly any conflict. I worked across prisons in my 20s and came across lots of South Asian women serving time and was coming from a family of complex beautiful roaring women – conflict was all I knew. It felt unjust that there were whole areas of life not being shown without conflict. The hiring process for the CIA is extensive, and you’ll never know the full extent of why you’re actually there, what agenda you’re fulfilling. You’re there to gather intelligence and protect your country, you’re plugged into the machine and leave your personal feelings at the door. What’s unique about this show is that you realise it’s impossible to do that and out bleeds real authentic vulnerable characters who happen to work for one of the largest intelligent agencies in the world.
Acclaimed in theater, TV, and film. What challenges you the most: being on stage, writing scripts, or diving into complex characters like those in The Agency?
It’s hard to see it as a challenge most of the time because I love my work. If anything is challenging it’s my own standards of myself to get things ‘right’… whatever that means but I think that’s a common theme with all artists.
The Agency is already generating a lot of anticipation. What do you hope the audience will take away from this series and your performance as Blair? Is there anything you can share about the themes the production explores?
It’s hard to gauge what people will think of Blair and in a way it’s none of my business! I just know how much I loved playing her. I hope audiences enjoy it – I was surrounded by (in Jeffrey Wright’s words), ‘Top shelf people all around.’ From the writing, to the acting, to the directing, every single person was total class to work with and so much magic was happening between the different departments on set.