'Sound of Metal': Meet Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Lauren Ridloff and rest of the cast of Amazon Prime's drama film
One movie that has created a lot of buzz this year is director Darius Marder's 'Sound of Metal'. The official synopsis of the drama film, which had its world premiere in the Platform Prize program at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival, reads, "A heavy-metal drummer's life is thrown into freefall when he begins to lose his hearing."
It was released theatrically on November 20, 2020, and will be streaming on Amazon's Prime Video on December 4, 2020. 'Sound of Metal' stars Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Lauren Ridloff, and Mathieu Amalric in the lead roles. Let's meet the cast of the critically acclaimed movie.
Riz Ahmed
An actor as well as a rapper, Riz, also known as Riz MC, is known for his work in films such as 'The Road to Guantanamo' (2006), 'Shifty' (2008), 'Four Lions' (2010), 'Trishna' (2011), 'Ill Manors' (2012) and 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist' (2013). He has starred in TV shows 'Britz' (2007) and 'Dead Set' (2008). His breakout role came in the film 'Nightcrawler' (2014) opposite Jake Gyllenhall.
In 2016, Riz appeared in the action film 'Jason Bourne' alongside Matt Damon and played Bodhi Rook in 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'. He earned widespread acclaim for starring in the HBO miniseries 'The Night Of' for which he won a Primetime Emmy becoming the first Asian male to win the acting Emmy, and the first Muslim and first Asian to win a lead acting Emmy. He portrayed Carlton Drake in the 'Venom' (2018).
As a rapper, he is a member of the Swet Shop Boys. The hip-hop group has earned critical acclaim with the albums 'Microscope' and 'Cashmere'. Swet Shop Boys have been featured in the 'Hamilton Mixtape' performing the song 'Immigrants (We Get the Job Done)' winning an MTV Video Music Award.
As an activist, Riz is known for his political rap music and has been involved in raising awareness and funds for Rohingya and Syrian refugee children. In 2017, he was included on the front cover of the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world.
Olivia Cooke
The 26-year-old actress first gained attention for her starring role as Emma Decody in the A&E drama-thriller series 'Bates Motel' and as Becky Sharp in the period drama miniseries 'Vanity Fair'.
She has also starred in the horror film 'Ouija' (2014), the comedy-drama film 'Me and Earl and the Dying Girl' (2015), the period horror mystery film 'The Limehouse Golem' (2016), the thriller film 'Thoroughbreds' (2017), and the Steven Spielberg–directed science fiction film 'Ready Player One' (2018). In 2018, she appeared alongside Oscar Isaac, Olivia Wilde, and Samuel L. Jackson in Dan Fogelman's relationship drama film 'Life Itself', and, in 2019, starred as Karla, a pregnant homeless woman giving her baby up for adoption, in the romantic comedy anthology series 'Modern Love'.
Before she became a well-known actor, Cooke, as a 14-year-old, appeared in One Direction's 'Autumn Term' tour video as a student getting a piggyback ride from Harry Styles. She applied to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art but was not accepted. Cooke has supported Save the Children campaign by appearing in Bulgari advertisements.
Lauren Ridloff
The 42-year-old Lauren is a deaf actress best known for her role as Connie on the TV series 'The Walking Dead'. Her breakthrough role was her lead performance in the Broadway play 'Children of a Lesser God' for which she was nominated for several awards including a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. She was then cast in 'The Walking Dead' for its ninth season.
Lauren will also play deaf superhero Makkari in the Marvel superhero film 'Eternals' scheduled to release in 2021. In 2020, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts selected her as a Breakthrough performer along with 33 other talents in film, television, and games.
Mathieu Amalric
A French actor and filmmaker, Mathieu is best known internationally for his performance as the lead villain in the James Bond film 'Quantum of Solace', his performance in Steven Spielberg's 'Munich', and for his role in 'The Diving Bell and the Butterfly' for which he received critical acclaim from all quarters. Mathieu has won several César Awards and the Lumières Award.
His 2010 film 'On Tour' premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and won Mathieu the Best Director Award. Mathieu's 2014 film 'The Blue Room', which he directed and starred in, competed in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival. Mathieu also starred in 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' and will be seen in Wes Anderson's upcoming movie 'The French Dispatch'. He was married to French actress and singer Jeanne Balibar and is currently in a relationship with Canadian soprano Barbara Hannigan.
