He’s The Perfect Choice
Rami Malek may not have been the first choice to portray Freddie Mercury but we’d be lying if we say he didn’t play the part perfectly. From the little gestures to the stage movements and theatrics – everything was eerily similar to Freddie’s. Looking at the side-by-side comparison, he channeled Freddie flawlessly and while “Bohemian Rhapsody” is supposed to be a Queen biopic, it’s undeniable that Rami stole the spotlight from everyone else.
And if you want to know just how accurate his portrayal is, the best people to point them out are those who were close to Freddie – one of them is his sister Kashmira Cooke whom Rami has already met. In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Rami revealed the moment Kashmira first saw him as Freddie.
“I met his sister. She got to see me as a young Freddie with long hair and the teeth, make-up, the whole 1970s, early glam-rock look. As you can imagine it was an incredibly bizarre, alien moment for her.” – Rami Malek
“Bohemian Rhapsody” was a huge box office hit and while there were mixed reviews, Rami generally received praise for his performance with some going so far as to say he deserves an Oscar nod. But perhaps one of his greatest achievements thus far is getting the stamp of approval from Freddie’s loved ones.
“Later on, it was a very emotional moment. On a serious note, she wrote me the most moving email. It was very powerful.
To get that vote of appreciation from the people who were closest to him was everything for me.” – Rami Malek
He admitted that he was initially terrified of the role because obviously, he had large shoes to fill. But then he referred to it as “an opportunity of a lifetime” which he couldn’t pass up. And boy, we’re all glad he took it. Because this really became his shining moment as an actor.