Riz Ahmed 1st Muslim nominated for Best Actor Oscar
'I'm honoured to be nominated,' says Sound of Metal's lead actor
- Magazine
- Anadolu Agency
- Published Date: 07:48 | 15 March 2021
- Modified Date: 07:48 | 15 March 2021
With his role in Sound of Metal, Riz Ahmed became the first Muslim actor to be nominated for Actor in a Leading Role category of the 93rd Academy Awards, or The Oscars, 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," Ahmed said on Twitter. "I'm equally thrilled for our visionary writer-director Darius Marder and the brilliant Paul Raci..."
Ahmed, a British Pakistani actor, plays a hard rock drummer who loses his hearing in the 2019 American drama film Sound of Metal, directed and co-written by Darius Marder.
The film has a nomination in six different categories, including Best Supporting Actor, Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.
Ahmed was the first Muslim and Asian who won a lead acting award in 2017's Emmy Awards with his role in The Night Of.