Riz Ahmed has spoken of his pride at being able to connect with a wider audience after being the first Muslim to be nominated for the Best Actor Oscar.
The actor, 38, is up for the award for his role as drummer Ruben Stone in Sound of Metal – a musician who slowly loses his hearing after playing in a rock band.
Riz said that he hopes both the Muslim and deaf communities will appreciate his appearance at the ceremony later this month.
Role model: Riz Ahmed has spoken of his pride at being able to connect with a wider audience after being the first Muslim to be nominated for the Best Actor Oscar
Riz told the BBC: ‘What matters to me is, as many people as possible can find themselves in this moment.
‘So some people really connect with the idea that I was the first Muslim nominated for lead actor, that’s beautiful and I support that.
‘If some people are overjoyed to see it’s a film that focuses on deaf representation, which is something really lacking in cinema and they connect more with that, then that’s beautiful.’
The Four Lions star added: ‘If for some people they’re rooting for the fact that it’s someone from Wembley … then that’s cool.’
Character: The actor, 38, is up for the award for his role as drummer Ruben Stone in Sound of Metal – who slowly loses his hearing after playing in a rock band
Riz believes that his history-making recognition from the Academy is down to society moving forward as this year’s Oscars features the most diverse group of nominees to date.
He added: ‘But I think what’s really important is looking at the whole field of nominees and seeing there are so many firsts.
‘Steven Yeun is the first Asian-American actor, Sir Anthony Hopkins is the oldest, Chadwick Boseman’s posthumous nomination – first time for a black actor in that position.
Tough: Riz 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
‘So I just think it is nice to be part of a moment where we all seem to be moving forward together as a culture.’
Riz – who has earned critical acclaim as a rapper – also revealed that he will be wearing ear plugs at gigs in the future having seen the effect that hearing loss had on his character.
He said: ‘It’s certainly made me realise I need to take ear plugs with me into venues.
‘It’s something I started doing years ago when I realised friends of mine, DJs, had started, kind of sadly, losing bits of their hearing. It’s very, very common within music.’
Proud: Riz said that he hopes both the Muslim and deaf communities will appreciate his appearance at the ceremony later this month
Riz 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.
On hearing the news Riz tweeted earlier this month: ‘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.’
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.
It was announced last week that the 93rd Academy Awards were not only set to take place between two locations in Los Angeles but also an additional ‘British hub’ despite other award shows opting to go the ‘virtual’ route amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
And it seems like producers of the award ceremony have an additional trick up their sleeve.
The Oscars – which are set to take place on Sunday, April 25 – are being produced by 2001 Best Director winner Steven Soderbergh as well as longtime collaborator Stacey Sher and pandemic awards-show expert Jesse Collins.
The trio recently spoke to Vanity Fair about the constantly-changing and top-secret plans for Hollywood’s biggest night which include creating a European outpost – which was announced last week – after backlash that ensued after saying Zoom for nominees would not be an option.
Interesting: The Oscars – which will be broadcast on Sunday, April 25 – are set to take place between two locations in Los Angeles, ‘British hub’, and a ‘secret’ location