British-Pakistani actor Riz Ahmed has shared a lighthearted confession about the whereabouts of his sole Oscar trophy. The 43-year-old, who won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 2022 for The Long Goodbye, revealed that he has not seen the award since handing it over to his mother.
Ahmed explained that he gave the trophy to his mother immediately after receiving it, saying she gets priority over such keepsakes. He admitted, “I actually haven’t seen it for a while, so I’m hoping she knows where it is, ’cause I don’t.” The Sound of Metal star added that his mother has hidden the Oscar somewhere unknown to him, presumably to prevent him from accidentally discarding it along with other items.
The 12-minute short film, which explores themes of film and immigrant identity, earned Ahmed the distinction of being the first Muslim to win in that category. In a significant development earlier this year, Ahmed publicly condemned the Israeli attacks on Gaza, calling for an end to the indiscriminate bombing of civilians.
In a social media statement, the Emmy Award-winning actor described Israel’s actions as war crimes and urged people to stand on the side of humanity by raising their voices to stop the deaths of innocent people. He emphasized that the ongoing events in Gaza are morally indefensible and must be addressed.
