Riz Ahmed makes rare confession about his early challenges in industry

Riz Ahmed has reflected on his "outsider" youth while taking on the titular role of Hamlet.

In a new chat with PEOPLE Magazine, Riz recently shared the challenges he faced in this industry during his initial years, which made him related more to his character.

Admitting to feeling like an "outsider" during his younger years, he shared, "I had a really inspirational English teacher who gave it to me.”

“And actually, I found a character, the heart of this play, that just feels as much of an outsider as I did at that time.

"And as much of an outsider as I think many of us feel right now, right? I think the central question of the play is, ‘Am I losing my mind or has the world gone crazy?’ And I think we are feeling that way."

Meanwhile, the actor, who won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for The Long Goodbye in 2022, made a rare revelation about his earn.

Revealing that he has not seen the gong for year, he told the outlet that he handed it over to his mother.

"I went and handed it straight to my mom,” he began.

She gets first dibs on any of that stuff. I actually haven't seen it for a while, so I'm hoping she knows where it is, 'cause I don't."