Rami Malek is an Emmy Award and Oscar Award-winning actor, who has received critical acclaim for his roles as Elliot in Mr. Robot and Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. But before he won major awards and captivated people with his oozing charm, Malek struggled to make it big in Hollywood.
He admitted that his parents didn't approve of his desire to pursue a career in the arts, he said in an interview, "My parents did not want me to become an actor. They wanted me to be a lawyer or a doctor so that I achieve a good financial and social status. But because I am crazy and stubborn, as they would say, I chose to study fine arts and theater. After graduation, I sent my resume to production houses, but they never called me". During his mid-20s, he was sleeping in his parents' two-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles, while working at restaurants, going on auditions and finding an agent. He told GQ, "If I saw someone who looked in any way producer-like because the restaurant was in the middle of Hollywood, I would stick a headshot and a résumé into their to-go order.”
Eventually, in 2004, Malek caught the attention of a casting director and eventually got a small role in Gilmore Girls. He would go on to play an Egyptian pharaoh in Night of the Museum film series. His major breakout role was playing Elliot Alderson in USA's Mr. Robot which earned him critical acclaim. He also became the first non-white actor to win in the lead actor category at the Emmy Awards in 18 years. He admitted in the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, that he used his first paycheck from Mr. Robot to pay off his student debt.
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In November 2018, Malek transformed himself into Queen's front-man, Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. He transformed himself by preparing for the role intensely, by taking singing and piano classes. He also worked with a dialect and movement coach, he said, "[Freddie] had a very specific way of speaking. He had a very specific way of doing anything...I’m not a dancer and I knew I needed to be spontaneous." His physical transformation required multiple wigs, makeup, prosthetic nose, and false teeth. Malek admitted he wore them every night for a year to get accustomed to them, “I felt incredibly insecure when I first put them in. I felt I needed to compensate in some way, and my posture elongated almost immediately, and I thought, ‘Wow, what gorgeous posture Freddie had. Was he doing the same thing?’ I never really had an answer for that.”
Malek's next role is playing a villain in the James Bond film, No Time to Die. The film is slated to be released in November 2020. Malek expressed conditions in playing in the film, “It’s a great character and I’m very excited. But that was one thing that I discussed with Cary. I said, ‘We cannot identify him with any act of terrorism reflecting an ideology or a religion. That’s not something I would entertain, so if that is why I am your choice then you can count me out.’ But that was clearly not his vision. So he’s a very different kind of extremist.”