Riz Ahmed was so broke he almost gave up on breakthrough Nightcrawler role

Oscar nominee Riz Ahmed was so broke before shooting his breakthrough role in 2014 film Nightcrawler, he almost quit the project.

The Sound of Metal star couldn't afford a plane ticket to an audition in Los Angeles and started seriously reconsidering his acting dreams.

"They (casting directors) asked me to fly to L.A. and I was like, 'I can’t fly to L.A. I’m broke'," Ahmed told The Mirror.

"But I had to fly to L.A. and just bet on myself. I spent that whole flight just running lines. I remember landing and seeing Jake Gyllenhaal in the room and going, 'Whoa!'" he recalled.

"It came when I thought I'd reached the end of the road. I wasn't really making any money, being offered that next tier of roles," the actor went on.

His gamble paid off - last week, Riz became the first Muslim nominated for a Lead Actor Oscar for his role in The Sound of Metal as Ruben Stone, a drummer losing his hearing.

After making Oscars history on Monday, Ahmed tweeted: "Wow! I'm honoured to be nominated by my fellow actors alongside such inspiring performances, and am grateful to the Academy for their support and encouragement."