Riz Ahmed had to spend seven months learning both sign language and how to drum for new Oscar favorite “Sound of Metal,” he said.

The Brit is getting great buzz for his turn as a punk drummer who starts to lose his hearing, and with it his career.

Grammy winner and Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas interviewed the cast for a Cinema Society and Amazon Studios virtual screening over the weekend, joking: “The only reason they picked me is I’m a musician and I have decent Wi-Fi.”

Among those who tuned in were Uma Thurman, James Franco, Rosario Dawson and Taron Egerton.