For Emmy-winning Riz Ahmed, “Sound of Metal” was serious business.
Ahmed, an Oxford-educated actor (“The Night Of,” “The Sisters Brothers”), rapper and activist, stars in an intimate, accurate drama about a heavy metal drummer’s sudden loss of hearing.
“Sound” writer-director Darius Marder felt there was only one way to tell this story with its intricate sound design — and that was by going all in.
“When I first met Darius,” Ahmed, 37, recalled, “he said, ‘Everything’s going to be for real. I want you to be playing the drums for real when you’re playing them on screen. There is not going to be any post-sound cheating. I want you to be able to play a regular gig in front of an audience.’
“Similarly, with the American Sign Language. I felt I shouldn’t just learn a couple of signs. I should be fluent in sign language and be able to improvise with actors and make the effort.
“Having both agreed on that and feeling good about ourselves, then I had to like sit down and actually do it! Which is a lot more scary and daunting.
“By the end it was a really enriching process. I think it really improved the character and opened me up as an actor and eventually was quite a profound experience, connecting with those communities and learning those skills. I think some of those relationships will stay with me.”
How much time was this?
“It was seven months. I basically moved to New York, New York, and just went full time. Three hours a day drumming, three hours a day I just immersed myself in learning American Sign Language. And I was lucky to have amazing teachers.
“My drum teacher must be the most patient man in the world. I had some rhythm as a rapper but playing the drums is a different thing. It’s out of your head, a different proposition.
“Then my Sign instructor Jeremy Stone — we actually named my character, Ruben Stone, after him — we became very close. Particularly when speaking in American Sign Language. Jeremy told me that hearing people are often emotionally repressed.
“He said, ‘You guys hide behind words. Whereas when you sign you inhabit physically what you’re saying. It’s a very connected visceral experience.’
“So it was a seven-plus months maddening, grueling and scary process but also very, very enriching.
“The deaf community taught me the true meaning of the word communication. Connected, embodied communication.”
(“The Sound of Metal” streams Friday on Amazon.)
"sound" - Google News
November 28, 2020 at 05:50PM
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Riz Ahmed keeps it real in ‘Sound of Metal’ - Boston Herald
"sound" - Google News
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