@industryofcooltv: Riz Ahmed completely transformed himself for Sound of Metal. He learned to play drums from scratch, trained in ASL for months, and even experienced simulated hearing loss to understand Ruben’s perspective. He immersed himself in the world of the character by attending recovery meetings, punk and metal shows, and Deaf community events. The film was also shot chronologically to help Ahmed and Olivia Cooke experience Ruben and Lou’s emotional journey as it unfolded. Ahmed’s performance earned him his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor, making him the first Muslim actor ever nominated in the category.