LATE SHOW."

MY GUEST TONIGHT IS AN EMMY AWARD-WINNING ACTOR AND RAPPER

YOU KNOW FROM "NIGHTCRAWLER," "ROGUE ONE," AND "THE NIGHT OF."

HE NOW STARS IN THE FILM "SOUND OF METAL."

PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO "A LATE SHOW," RIZ AHMED.

RIZ, THANKS FOR BEING HERE.

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME, MAN.

GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

>> Stephen: RIZ, FIRST OF ALL, CONGRATULATIONS ON THE BAFTA

NOMINATION.

THAT WAS JUST THIS MORNING, RIGHT?

>> YEAH, YEAH, IT WAS.

THANK YOU, THANKS A LOT.

WE GOT A COUPLE OF NOMINATIONS FOR "SOUND OF METAL" AND "MOOGLE

MOGLI" THAT ISN'T OUT IN THE U.S. BUT CAME OUT IN THE U.K. SO

IT WAS COOL.

>> Stephen: I LIKE HEARING ABOUT HOW PEOPLE HEARD THEY GOT

THE NOMINATION?

WERE YOU EXPECTING IT?

WERE YOU WAITING TO FIND OUT, OR IT WAS A TOTAL SURPRISE AND YOU

DIDN'T THINK ABOUT THIS WAS HAPPENING TODAY?

>> I MEAN, YOU CAN'T REALLY BE EXPECTING IT.

THERE ARE NO PROMISES IN LIFE ANYMORE, RIGHT.

EVERYTHING IS SO UNPREDICTABLE.

BUT IT'S-- YOU KNOW, IT WAS LIKE ON LONDON TIME, AND I'M OUT ON

THE WEST COAST, SO IT HAPPENED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.

SO IT WAS KIND OF GOOD IN A WAY.

YOU CAN SLEEP THROUGH ANY OF THE ANXIETY, AND YOU WAKE UP AND SEE

IF THERE'S A BUNCH OF TEXT MESSAGES ON YOUR PHONE.

>> Stephen: SO YOU LOOK AT YOUR PHONE, AND IT'S JUST

STACKED WITH MESSAGES AND YOU KNOW SOMETHING GOOD MUST HAVE

HAPPENED?

>> SOMETHING GOOD OR SOMETHING REALLY BAD.

THAT'S THE ISSUE, RIGHT?

LOOKING AT YOUR PHONE YOU SEE ALL THESE NOTIFICATIONS AND

YOU'RE LIKE, "I DON'T KNOW IF I'M GOING TO LOOK AT THAT.

IT COULD GO EITHER WAY."

>> Stephen: THIS HAS BEEN A TOUGH YEAR.

I WAS JUST SAYING EARLIER TODAY, THIS FRIDAY WILL BE A YEAR SINCE

WE HAD TO LEAVE OUR THEATER BECAUSE OF COVID INFECTIONS HERE

IN THE UNITED STATES.

AND THIS YEAR HAS BEEN AN EXTRAORDINARILY DIFFICULT FOR SO

MANY PEOPLE, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY BROUGHT YOU AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT

OF SUCCESS AND GOOD NEWS.

YOU RELEASED A NEW ALBUM, TWO FILMS, YOU'RE WORKING WITH THE

OBAMAS ON A FILM ADAPTATION.

YOU SIGNED AN AMAZON PRODUCTION DEAL, AND, BEST OF ALL, YOU GOT

MARRIED.

HOW DID YOU MAKE SENSE OF-- OF THE MANY UPS AND THE DOWNS OF

THIS YEAR FOR YOU?

>> IT'S CRAZY, ISN'T IT?

BECAUSE ON THE ONE HAND, YEAH, IT HAS BEEN A REALLY DIFFICULT

YEAR.

AS YOU CAN TELL, I'M A BIT OF A WORKAHOLIC.

I HAVE TROUBLE SITTING STILL.

I ALWAYS WANT TO BE DOING SOMETHING.

THE TOUGHEST THING FOR ME THIS YEAR WAS SITTING BY MYSELF AND

KIND OF BEING FORCED TO DO SOMETHING, WHICH IS IN SOME WAYS

A PRIVILEGE THAT I'M NOT OUT THERE LIKE THESE DOCTORS AND

NURSES SAVING LIVES, SO I'M GRATEFUL FOR THAT.

ONE OF THE THINGS THE QUIET BROUGHT ME IS THE CLARITY ON

WHERE WE SPEND OUR TIME AND ENERGY.

I THINK A LOT OF US HAD THE REALIZATION THAT WE SPEND A LOT

OF TIME CHASING STUFF WHICH IN THE END DOESN'T MATTER.

WHAT MATTERS IS YOUR WELL-BEING, YOUR HEALTH, AND YOUR CONNECTION

TORGS AND IT HAS GIVEN ME MORE CLARITY ON THE KIND OF WORK I

WANT TO BE DOING.

EVEN THOUGH IT STOPPED ME IN MY TRACTION, IT GAVE ME A LOT OF

CLARITY AND I FOLLOWED THROUGH ON THAT AND MAKE A BUNCH OF WORK

THAT REPRESENTS WHERE I'M AT RIGHT NOW.

>> Stephen: ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S GREAT ABOUT MUSIC IS YOU

CAN DO IT ANYWHERE.

YOU CAN DO IT BY YOURSELF.

YOU CAN DO IT IN COLLABORATION, BY SENDING FILES TO EACH OTHER.

WERE YOU ABLE TO PUT SOME OF YOUR FOCUS INTO THAT BECAUSE

NORMAL TELEVISION OR FILM PRODUCTION WAS SO CURTAILED?

>> THAT WAS A PART OF IT, YEAH.

ONE OF THE THINGS I WAS GOING TO DO WAS TOUR MY ALBUM, "THE LONG

GOOD-BYE."

OBVIOUSLY, COVID SHUT THAT DOWN.

WE DID A LIVE STREAM PERFORMANCE FROM AN ABANDONED THEATER IN SAN

FRANCISCO AND I FILMED IT MYSELF.

WE ENDED UP-- SOMETIMES THE LIMITATIONS MAKE YOU INNOVATIVE.

I MADE A ONE-MAN SHOW, KIND OF A GIG, KIND OF LIKE A SHORT FILM,

BECAUSE WE FILMED IT.

SO, YEAH, IT WAS KIND OF INTERESTING.

BUT FOR ME, THE THING THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS YEAR KEPT BRINGING ME

BACK TO IS LIKE, REALLY, WHAT'S POINT?

YOU KNOW, THERE'S A WHOLE BIG PICTURE THAT'S SO SCARY RIGHT

NOW.

LIKE, YOU BETTER BE MAKING WORK THAT YOU THINK MAKES SOME KIND

OF DIFFERENCE OR MEANS SOMETHING TO YOU.

AND FOR ME, YOU KNOW, BOTH "SOUND OF METAL" OR "LONG

GOOD-BYE" THEY'RE TRYING TO REMIND US THERE'S NO SUCH THING

AS "US" AND "THEM," WHICH IS IMPORTANT TO HOLD ON TO IN SUCH

A DIVIDED TIME.

IT'S JUST US.

THAT'S WHAT ALL STORIES REMIND YOU, YOU START OFF WATCHING A

CHARACTER THAT YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CAN'T RELATE TO AND IS SO

DIFFERENT FROM YOU, AND AT THE END OF IT, YOU REALIZE THERE'S A

KIND OF CORE OF EMOTION AND HUMANITY THAT WE ALL SHARE.

AND SO, I GUESS I FEEL REALLY CLEAR THAT I WANT TO BE MAKING

WORK LIKE THAT THAT REMINDS US WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER.

>> Stephen: LET'S TALK ABOUT "SOUND OF METAL."

YOUR PERFORMANCE, AS I SAID, THE BAFTA NOMINATION THIS MORNING,

IS GETTING GREAT PRAISE.

WHO DO YOU PLAY?

AND WHAT'S IT ABOUT?

>> YEAH, IT WAS A PROJECT SO CLOSE TO MY HEART, SO LUCKY TO

BE A PART OF.

IT'S BY A FIRST-TIME DIRECTOR CALLED DARIUS MARDER, WHO IS A

LEGIT GENIUS.

AND THE MOVIE IS THE STORY OF RUBEN WHO IS KIND OF A PUNK

METAL DRUMMER WHO SUDDENLY LOSES HIS HEARING.

AND WHEN HE LOSES HIS HEARING, HE LOSE HIS IDENTITY, HIS JOB,

AND HIS RELATIONSHIP, BECAUSE HIS BANDMATE IS HIS GIRLFRIEND.

THEY LIVE TOGETHER IN A MOBILE STUDIO RV.

HIS WORLD FALLS APART.

AND KIND OF WHAT WE HAVE BEEN GOOG THROUGH WITH COVID, THE

HEALTH CRISIS FORCES HIM INTO A KIND OF LOCKDOWN AND GOES TO A

REHAB CENTER AND FORCES HIM TO REASSESS WHAT MATTER S.

>> Stephen: WE HAVE A CLIP HERE.

CAN YOU TELL US WHAT'S GOING ON GEE YEAH, SO THIS IS THE POINT

IN THE MOVIE WHERE RUBEN IS TRYING TO GET A COCHLEAR IMPLANT

SURGERY, WHICH STIMULATES YOUR BRAIN AND HE PUT A LOT ON THE

LINE TO TRY TO GET HIS HEARING BACK.

>> Stephen: JIM.

>> Stephen: YOU-- YOU SPENT SEVEN MONTHS PREPARING FOR THIS

FILM, LEARNING AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE.

WHAT WAS THAT PROCESS LIKE?

AND WHAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU LEARNED ABOUT THE DEAF

COMMUNITY?

>> IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST ENRICHING AND MIND-BLOWING

EXPERIENCES OF MY LIFE.

I'M SO GRATEFUL TO MY SIGN INSTRUCTOR, JEREMY LEE STONE,

WHO WAS MY MENTOR AND INTRODUCING ME TO DEAF CULTURE.

THE BIG TAKEAWAY FOR ME IS DEAFNESS ISN'T A DISABILITY.

IT'S A CULTURE.

IT'S A WAY OF BEING IN THE WORLD.

YOU KNOW, DEAF PEOPLE AREN'T HEARING IMPAIRED.

WE'RE IMPAIRED BECAUSE WE DON'T SPEAK SIGN LANGUAGE.

SIGN LANGUAGE IS SUCH A-- SUCH A RICH FORM OF EXPRESSION.

I ACTUALLY FEEL LIKE THE DEAF COMMUNITY TAUGHT ME THE TRUE

MEANING OF LISTENING.

LISTENING ISN'TI ISN'T SOMETHING WITH YOUR EARS YOU DO IT WITH

YOUR ENERGY AND HOLDING SPACE FOR SOMEONE ELSE'S ENERGY.

JEREMY TAUGHT ME THERE'S A SAYING IN THE DEAF COMMUNITY,

HEARING PEOPLE ARE EMOTIONALLY REPRESSED BECAUSE WE HIND BEHIND

WORDS.

WE USE WORDS TO HIDE OUR FEELINGS.

AND I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANT UNTIL I BECAME MORE FLUENT

IN SIGN LANGUAGE, AND I TEARED UP WITH SIGN LANGUAGE.

WHEN YOU'RE SPEAKING IN SIGN IT'S SO MUCH MORE CONNECTED AND

VISCERAL, AND YOU EMBODY WHAT YOU'RE COMMUNICATING.

I LEARNED SIGN LANGUAGE, BUT I ALSO LEARNED WHAT REAL

COMMUNICATION IS WHAT REAL LISTENING IS FROM THE DEAF

COMMUNITY, AND I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR THAT.

>> Stephen: I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH FACILITY YOU HAVE FOR

LANGUAGES, BUT TAKING UP ANOTHER LANGUAGE, ESPECIALLY THAT HAS A

DIFFERENT FORM OF VOCABULARY THAN THOSE OF US NOT IN THE DEAF

COMMUNITY ARE USED TO.

DID YOU MAKE MISTAKES?

I MEAN, WERE THERE ANY EPIC MESS-UPS?

>> YEAH, YEAH.

MY SIGN NAME WAS SOMETHING GIVEN BY THE DEAF COMMUNITY, YOU KNOW,

PEOPLE WHO KNOW YOU AFTER A WHILE, MY SIGN NAME IS ( BLE

( BLEEP ).

>> Stephen: AND HOW WOULD YOU SIGN THAT?

HOW WOULD YOU SIGN THAT?

>> THE SIGN FOR ( BLEEP ) IS LIKE THIS.

SO YOU KIND OF GOT THESE, AND YOU'RE LIKE ( BLEEP ).

AND WHAT I KEPT DOING IS I DIDN'T KNOW THE SIGN FOR, LIKE,

"UHM, I'M THINKING," WHEN YOU RUN OUT OF WORDS.

YOU CAN GO LIKE THAT, OR MAYBE YOU'RE THINKING.

BUT I JUST EYE DIDN'T HAVE EVEN THE VOCABULARY FOR THAT.

EVERY TIME I RAN OUT OF WORDS I WOULD BE LIKE...

AND CHRISTINE SUN KIM, THE DEAF ARTIST, KIND OF CLOCKED THAT AND

WENT, YOU KNOW, WHAT?

THAT'S YOUR NAME.

YOU'RE PLAYING THE DRUMS.

YOU'RE ALWAYS ( BLEEP ), AND R-I-Z.

SO YOUR SIGN NAME IS...

AND IT JUST SHOWS YOU HOW AMAZING AND ELEGANT A LANGUAGE

IS.

YOU'VE GOT THE DRUMS.

YOU HAVE R-I-Z, AND YOU HAVE ( BLEEP ), AND THAT'S MY SIGN

NAME.

I'LL WEAR IT WITH PRIDE, THAT'S ME.

>> Stephen: WHICH WAS HARDER, LEARNING AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE

OR THE DRUMS?

I UNDERSTAND YOU HAD TO LEARN THE DRUMS FOR THE PART.

>> YEAH, I MEAN, SIGN LANGUAGE WAS INTENSE.

YOU KNOW, IT WAS SEVEN MONTHS, MANY HOURS EVERY DAY.

BUT THE DRUMS WAS THE SAME.

BUT I FEEL LIKE THE DRUMS WAS HARDER FOR ME, MUCH HARD

EBECAUSE I STUPIDLY THOUGHT I WOULD BE GOOD AT THE DRUMS

BECAUSE I'M A RAPPER AND I'VE GOT SOME IDEA OF RHYTHM.

COULDN'T HAVE BEEN FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH.

THERE IS DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RHYTHM AND COORDINATION, AND MY

DRUM TEACHER HAS THE PATIENCE OF A SAINT.

AND REALLY, IT GOT PRETTY PSYCHOLOGICAL, MAN.

TWO DUDZ JUST IN A WEIRD BASEMENT STUDIO IN BROOKLYN IN

THE HEAT OF THE SUMMER JUST USUALLY STRIPPED DOWN TO

UNDERWEAR AND SOCKS, JUST, LIKE, STARING AT EACH OTHER SMASHING

DRUMS.

IT GOT PRETTY INTENSE.

IT GOT A LITTLE BIT "APOCALYPSE NOW" IN THERE.

I THINK THE THING WITH THE DRUMS.

YOU DON'T PLAY THE DRUMS.

YOU HAVE TO LET THEM PLAY YOU.

AND THAT'S WHAT I KIND OF LEARNED IN THE END.

>> Stephen: WE HAVE A DRUMMER IN OUR FAMILY AND HE DOESN'T GO

ANYWHERE WITHOUT SOME SORT OF EAR PRODUCTION IN CASE HE SITS

IN.

HE HAS EITHER THE FULL HEADPHONE OR THE EAR PLUGS ON HIS CHE KEY

CHAIN.

DID YOU TAKE CARE OF YOUR EARS?

>> YOU HAVE TO.

IT'S PART OF WHAT THE FILM IS ABOUT.

IT BACKFIRED ON ME.

I GOT SO USED TO WEARING THESE EAR PLUGS, THAT I KIND OF

STOPPED BEING ABLE TO SLEEP.

YOU KNOW, I WAS PREPARING IN NEW YORK WITHOUT EAR PLUGS BUT I

KEPT SLEEPING THROUGH MY ALARM.

SO THEN I STARTED GETTING LATE FOR WORK, SO THEN I COULDN'T

SLEEP OUT OF ANXIETY FOR THAT.

SO THE WHOLE FIRST COUPLE OF WEEKS OF SHOOTING, I KEPT BUYING

NEW MATTRESSES.

FOR SOME REASON I THOUGHT MAYBE THE PROBLEM WAS WITH THE

MATTRESS I WAS SLEEPING ON.

A WHOLE WORMHOLE OF NEUROSES OPENED UP AROUND THOSE.

IT WAS AN INTENSE PROCESS, MAN.

YOU HAD TO BE THERE AT THE TIME.

>> Stephen: RIZ RIZ IT WAS GREAT TO SEE YOU.

I KNOW YOU'RE A NATIVE OF THE U.K., ARE YOU OKAY WITH WHAT

HAPPENED WITH PIERS MORGAN THAT HE HAD TO QUIT "GOOD MORNING

BRITAIN"?

ARE YOU OKAY HE'S GOI NOT GOING BE THERE ANYMORE?