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Oscars Bound? Don't Stop Rami Malek Now

Neil Griffiths

Could Rami Malek's portrayal of Freddie Mercury in 'Bohemian Rhapsody' secure him his first Oscar nod? Neil Griffiths speaks to the actor to find out how Queen influenced him growing up, getting Taylor & May's approval and tackling the most iconic concert performance of the singer's career.

Some say Rami Malek was born to play iconic Queen frontman Freddie Mercury. If you've seen the trailers for Bohemian Rhapsody – the highly anticipated biopic blockbuster about the music icon's life – you'll know the resemblance is uncanny. If you've seen the film, you might be one of many who are already tipping the US actor to receive an Oscar nomination for his incredible performance. And this is no doubt thanks to the intense preparation put into bringing Mercury to the screen; a note that Malek doesn't take lightly, given his love for the legendary UK group.

"I loved the [Queen] catalogue," Malek shares while in Sydney to promote the film recently. "I loved Bowie before Queen so Under Pressure was a song that is one of my all time favourites. That turned me onto Bohemian Rhapsody and when I heard [that song] I said 'What is that and how do I get more?'"

As well as making a point to master Mercury's on-stage persona, the LA-born 37-year-old (who was recruited by Bohemian Rhapsody producers thanks largely to his Emmy Award-winning role in USA Network's Mr Robot), wanted to mimic the singer's everyday physicality: his speech, the way he moved, his spontaneity. One way of achieving this was by wearing fake teeth to portray the famous Mercury overbite. Another was relentless YouTube viewing, absorbing how Mercury sang, spoke and engaged with people. 

Malek also worked with choreographers. He picked up tips from Mercury's bandmates - Brian May and Roger Taylor. It all came to fruition on day one of shooting Bohemian Rhapsody with arguably the film's toughest scene: the iconic Live Aid concert in 1985, widely considered as one of the greatest rock performances of all time. 

So, whose call was it to shoot one of the film's most pivotal scenes on the first day of production? 

"I don't know. I have no idea," Malek laughs. "That was footage that I just kept watching over and over and over. There were times you'd look at it and go, 'That's never gonna work. We're never gonna be able to do that.' But after you kind of get through that moment, it seems like everything is gonna be a little bit easier. It was ultimately quite smart to start with that because it galvanized us as a band. The crew saw that if we can do that, there's no stopping this team. Everybody was looking forward to all the future concert sequences."

"I loved Bowie before Queen so Under Pressure was a song that is one of my all time favourites. That turned me onto Bohemian Rhapsody and when I heard [that song] I said 'What is that and how do I get more?'"

May and Taylor had a huge hand in the making of Bohemian Rhapsody; as well as serving as creative consultants, the duo also had a say in who played each member of the band - Mercury (Malek), May (Gwilym Lee), Taylor (Ben Hardy) and John Deacon (Joseph Mazzello). Malek says the Queen band members were especially encouraging on set.

"Brian May and Roger Taylor were just very supportive," Malek recalls. "They obviously watched our audition tapes and they had ultimate say in who got to play them. I think at some point they respected our individuality and what we were bringing to the table. They just wanted to promote that rather than detract from it."

In addition to spectacular sequences such as the Live Aid performance, Bohemian Rhapsody also gives viewers a more intimate perspective on many aspects of Mercury's life; his songwriting process, his attitude towards live performances, his timidness off stage, his sexuality and his hard partying. Malek says after spending so much time studying the singer, there is no part of Mercury's being that doesn't astound him.

"You can't pin [Mercury] down to one fascinating thing. There is nothing about the man that isn't fascinating," he says.
"He is ultimately one of the coolest, most fascinating, audacious human beings you can ever come across. You know when they say 'If you could go back in time and hang out with one person'? That is by far the one person that I would wanna spend time with."

Despite the critical acclaim for his portrayal and Oscar nomination predictions, Malek remains humble, and instead speaks of his admiration for Queen and Mercury. Living up to his legacy is the real reward for Malek. 

"I still could watch documentaries over. I listen to music in a different way, [Mercury's] music in a different way. And then I watch how he just spoke to so many and artists included. I found a relationship with other artists that love Freddie the way I do. But the thing that I found even more fascinating is just how kind I'm finding out he was behind closed doors and just how generous of a human being he was."



Bohemian Rhapsody is in cinemas from 1 Nov.