Since its release, Sound of Metal by Darius Marder has been garnering critical acclaim and awards season buzz, all of which surged on Wednesday when its leading star, Riz Ahmed, earned a Golden Globe nomination.
Ahmed received a nod for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama for his role as punk drummer Ruben who is slowly losing his ability to hear and is forced to adapt to a new life in the film.
“It’s a lovely feeling to have people shine a light on work that you feel good about on a project that’s close to your heart more than anything,” Ahmed told the outlet. “I hope it brings more and more attention to the film,” he added.
The Venom actor continued, “I love everyone we made it with. It was very much a family affair. It was a small, independent film and to see the way it landed and resonated with people is beautiful so I feel overjoyed. I hope people get to see the film for the film itself. The story carries quite a timely message for us right now.”
Ahmed, who stars in the film alongside Olivia Cooke and Paul Raci, has already received Best Actor accolades from critics and film organisations including the National Board of Review, Gotham Awards, Independent Spirit Awards, London Critics’ Circle Film Awards, New York Film Critics Online, Boston Society of Film Critics Awards, and San Diego Film Critics Society. If he wins this, he can add the trophy to his mantle which also includes an Emmy for his incredible performance in The Night Of.
What’s more? The Golden Globe nom can very well be a forecast for the Oscars as it pushes the film to the top.
Sound of Metal also shines light on the differently-abled community and allows viewers to take a sneak peak into an aspect of their underrepresented lives. As a Pakistani and Muslim, Ahmed stepped into a role of another community in the margins. He said this type of storytelling is powerful and can help broaden the horizons of Hollywood and the people.
“It allows you to recognise yourself in ‘the other’ and it can stretch our idea of who we are as people and as individuals,” he said. “There was so much that I learned from the deaf actors on set as a human being and as an actor in terms of what listening really is — communication being something you do with your whole body. There’s such a wealth of experience, talent and perspective that we can be drawing from.”
With regard to the award ceremonies, he added, “They can often be an important way to shine a light on some of the smaller films and hidden gems that might normally be overlooked.”
Sound of Metal is streaming on Amazon Prime.
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