Alki David
A Conversation with Alki David
Muhammad

Q: Describe your character, Muhammad.
A: My character, Muhammad, is the terrorist ring leader in this story. He's a disenfranchised oil rig worker of Saudi origin who obtains money from these wealthy individuals who back fundamentalism. These kind of wealthy people often have either an ax to grind or have an economic gain by causing trouble. Muhammad puts his men together through manipulation of the Islamic creed or hiding behind a vein of jihad. I think it's becoming common knowledge now that Islam is a religion of peace, not war.

Q: How realistic is this limited series?
A: I see it as being very realistic. Art imitating life would be an understatement in this case. There is so much in these characters and in the outcome of each story. The events in THE GRID are similar to things that have already happened or are very easy to believe that they could happen. For example, what happened in Spain recently is very indicative of what's going on in this story.

Q: What was it like working with Mikael Salomon and Tracey Alexander?
A: Tracey is a very clever woman and very dedicated. I was very impressed with her creativity and approach to this project. This is a very sensitive subject, and she's dealt with it in an extremely fair and balanced way. Mikael is a fantastic director, and he did a great job with the actors. With me, he asked that I make my character an almost endearing arch villain. I think I was chosen for this role partly because of my warm eyes. That's indicative of my character. He wanted to keep the humanity of this character to make him more appealing and understandable.