//Skip to content
Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors

Riz Ahmed Becomes First Muslim Nominated For Oscars’ Best Actor

March 16, 2021

English actor Riz Ahmed made history on Monday after becoming the first Muslim to ever be nominated for the Oscars for Best Actor at the Academy Awards due to his acclaimed performance in Amazon’s “Sound of Metal.” The film is also up for a total of six Academy Awards in 2021: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor for Paul Raci, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Sound. “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. I’m equally thrilled for our visionary writer-director Darius Marder and the brilliant Paul Raci…” the actor expressed on Twitter. In a conversation with Deadline, Riz Ahmed shared his feelings on what it feels like to make history and become the first Muslim to be nominated for a leading role. “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 said, “whether they see me as the first British Pakistani, or the first guy from Wembley, you know, there’s so…


Hi guest,

You've read all of your free articles.
Subscribe now to support independent journalism and to enjoy:


Unlimited access to all our articles

Exclusive events and offers

First access to new premium newsletters

Ability to comment on articles

Full user profile