Oscar nominee Riz Ahmed has opened up about how he was once so broke he almost quit acting as he thought he had ‘reached the end of the road’.
The British actor, 38, who received an Oscar nod for his role in the film Sound of Metal this week, said he nearly gave up on showbiz when he couldn’t afford a plane ticket to an audition in Los Angeles.
Riz revealed that when he was asked to audition for his breakthrough role as Rick in the 2014 movie Nightcrawler, he was so hard up for cash he almost pulled out.
Oscar hopeful: Riz Ahmed has opened up about how he was once so broke he almost quit acting as he thought he had ‘reached the end of the road’ (pictured in 2019)
Speaking to The Mirror, he said: ‘They asked me to fly to fly to L.A. I was like, “I can’t fly to L.A. I’m broke”.
‘But I had to fly to L.A. – and just bet on myself. I spent that whole flight just running lines. I remember landing and seeing Jake Gyllenhaal in the room and going, “Whoa”.
The Londoner landed the part in Nightcrawler, starring opposite Jake Gyllenhaal, and said it ‘opened doors’ for him but came at a time when he was ready to quit.
He said: ‘It came when I thought I’d reached the end of the road. I wasn’t really making any money, being offered that next tier of roles.’
Breakthrough: The actor, 38, revealed that he was once so broke he almost couldn’t afford a plane ticket to an audition in Los Angeles for his role in the 2014 movie Nightcrawler
Rock-and-roll: This week he made history to become the first Muslim nominated for an Oscar for lead actor for his role in the hit film Sound of Metal as a drummer who loses his hearing
Earlier this week he made history to become the first Muslim nominated for an Oscar for lead actor for his role in the hit film Sound of Metal.
He won rave reviews for his depiction of Ruben Stone, a rock-and-roll drummer and recovering alcoholic whose life goes into a free-fall when he loses his hearing.
The US actor Mahershala Ali was the first Muslim to win an Oscar when he was named best supporting actor for Moonlight in 2017, and won the same prize in 2019 for Green Book.
Ahmed tweeted on Monday: ‘Wow! I’m honoured to be nominated by my fellow actors alongside such inspiring performances, and am grateful to the Academy for their support and encouragement.’
‘Wow!’: Riz won rave reviews for his depiction of Ruben Stone, a rock-and-roll drummer and recovering alcoholic in the movie, and tweeted his excitement at the Oscar news on Monday
The actor was praised for his ‘passionate performance’ on Sound Of Metal, which he prepared for by learning drumming and American Sign Language as well as attending Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings.
He was previously the first Muslim to win a lead acting Emmy in 2017 for his performance in The Night Of.
Last month, Ahmed told Louis Theroux’s Grounded podcast that he recently tied the knot with his wife Fatima in a ‘super intimate’ ceremony with only a few guests present.
He previously revealed how he met his future wife in a cafe in New York while he was preparing for his role in Sound Of Metal.
Wedding bells! Ahmed announced on Louis Theroux’s Grounded podcast he’d recently tied the knot with Fatima in a ‘super intimate’ ceremony with only a few guests
He said he and Fatima, who is a novelist, exchanged vows in a simple ceremony with only a few guests present due to COVID-19 restrictions.
He said: ‘Obviously, kept it super intimate, and socially distanced. There was just like, hardly anyone there really.
‘We did it in a backyard, which is nice in lots of ways. I think the nicest thing about it was you didn’t have 500 aunties hanging around you, pinching your cheeks.’
The Four Lions star joked: ‘No disrespect to the aunties, but Asian weddings are big.
‘You always got these people crawling out the woodworks, who I think are kind of probably impostors. They just smell the kebabs on the street and just wander in.’
Chance encounter: He previously revealed how he met his future wife Fatima (pictured in 2018) in a cafe in New York while he was preparing for his role in Sound Of Metal
Ahmed went onto reveal more about his wife while appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, explaining they met in 2019 while he was preparing to play a deaf drummer in Sound Of Metal.
He said: ‘She’s an amazing novelist. We met so randomly while I was preparing for this role, for Sound Of Metal when I was in New York.
‘We both sat down at the same table in the cafe where we both turned up to write. We were both jostling over the same laptop plug points, like a very modern way of meeting.
‘And we struck up a friendship and reconnected down the line. But it’s weirdly like one of the many things about preparing for this role that was so special, it just brought a lot of goodness into my life.’
Across the pond: Riz, who was born in Wembley, has carved a Hollywood career and won an Emmy for lead actor for his performance in The Night Of (pictured at the Emmy’s in 2017)
93rd Academy Awards: Who are the 2021 Oscar nominees?
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Anthony Hopkins – The Father
Gary Oldman – Mank
Steven Yeun – Minari
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Glenn Close – Hillbilly Elegy
Olivia Colman – The Father
Amanda Seyfried – Mank
Youn Yuh-jung – Minari
Best Director
Thomas Vinterberg – Another Round
David Fincher – Mank
Lee Isaac Chung – Minari
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland
Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Olivia Colman is up for her role in The Father
Best Music (Original Score)
Da 5 Bloods
Mank
Minari
News of the World
Soul
Best Animated Short Film
Burrow
Genius Loci
If Anything Happens I Love You
Opera
Yes-People
Best Live Action Short Film
Feeling Through
The Letter Room
The Present
Two Distant Strangers
White Eye
Best International Feature Film
Another Round
Better Days
Collective
The Man Who Sold His Skin
Quo Vadis, Aida?
Best Sound: Greyhound – a war film starring Tom Hanks – is up for the gong
Best Sound
Greyhound
Mank
News of the World
Soul
Sound of Metal
Best Production Design
The Father
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Mank
News of the World
Tenet
Best Cinematography
Judas and the Black Messiah
Mank
News of the World
Nomadland
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Emma
Hillbilly Elegy
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Mank
Pinocchio
Best Music (Original Song)
Fight for You – Judas and the Black Messiah
Hear My Voice – The Trial of the Chicago 7
Husavik – Eurovision Song Contest
Io Si (Seen) – The Life Ahead
Speak Now – One Night in Miami…
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is vying for the award
Best Picture
The Father
Judas and the Black Messiah
Mank
Minari
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best Picture: The Trial of the Chicago 7 is one of the eight films nominated
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Viola Davis – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Andra Day – The United States vs Billie Holiday
Vanessa Kirby – Pieces of a Woman
Frances McDormand – Nomadland
Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Sacha Baron Cohen – The Trial of the Chicago 7
Daniel Kaluuya – Judas and the Black Messiah
Leslie Odom, Jr. – One Night in Miami…
Paul Raci – Sound of Metal
Lakeith Stanfield – Judas and the Black Messiah
Best Animated Feature Film
Onward
Over the Moon
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
Soul
Wolfwalkers
Best Animated Feature Film: A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon is nominated
Best Costume Design
Emma
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Mank
Mulan
Pinnochio
Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
The Father
Nomadland
One Night in Miami…
The White Tiger
Best Writing (Original Screenplay)
Judas and the Black Messiah
Minari
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best Documentary Feature
Collective
Crip Camp
The Mole Agent
My Octopus Teacher
Time
Best Writing (Original Screenplay): Judas and the Black Messiah is up for the gong
Best Documentary Short Subject
Colette
A Concerto Is a Conversation
Do Not Split
Hunger Ward
A Love Song for Latasha
Best Film Editing
The Father
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best Visual Effects
Love and Monsters
The Midnight Sky
Mulan
The One and Only Ivan
Tenet