Riz Ahmed just became the first Muslim ever nominated for Best Actor at the Academy Awards. How is he feeling? Blessed.
“If there’s a way in which people can find themselves in this moment, and can feel inspired and connected on a deeper level, I’m all for it,” Ahmed told Deadline this evening.
“Whether they see me as the first British Pakistani, or the first guy from Wembley, you know, there’s so many ways to view it. But as long as it feels like an opportunity for more people than ever before to really connect and feel included in this moment, that’s a blessing.”
Ahmed was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his part in Sound of Metal, which was released on Amazon Prime, about a metal drummer who loses his hearing.
Mahershala Ali, also a Muslim actor, won in 2017 and 2019 in the Best Supporting Actor category.
“It’s why we do it, to stretch our hearts and stretch our minds, and in the process stretch culture. We should stretch culture so that it’s big enough and wide enough and expansive enough so that there’s space for all of us to find ourselves in it, to feel that we belong and that we’re included, and that we matter. These changes aren’t just something that’s good politically or socially. It’s something which allows stories and storytelling to get back to its original intention, which is to embrace all of us,” Ahmed said.
Ahmed also ceded credit to his collaborators on the film, including director Darius Marder and co-star Paul Raci, a child of deaf adults.
“It feels like a privilege to be part of this team,” he says. “It was a special project where everyone got together, there were no egos, and it was all about us pulling toward this larger vision. We made the film unsure whether anyone would see it, really, so for us to come out with six nominations is just the most beautiful feeling. For Darius, who spent 13 years trying to get this film made; for Paul Raci, who spent 35 years sitting on this tremendous talent and perhaps not being given the platform to really express it; and for the entire team. I know it’s a cliche but it was truly a labor of love.”
