A walk back to the 1970s when music bands were a major attraction, and Freddie Mercury’s quartet – Queen, became a timeless musical group. Donning loyal fans and continuing live performances until the death of the lead singer, Queen never faded into oblivion. But it was certainly Robert Pattinson’s Twilight co-star, who truly introduced a new generation of fans to Queen.
Releasing a biopic that narrated the story and paid homage to Freddie Mercury, Bohemian Rhapsody turned into a classic mainly because of its brilliant casting of Rami Malek as the lead character. Fitting perfectly with the character and acting out the part in a phenomenal way, Malek even did the unthinkable for the $910M movie audition.
Robert Pattinson’s Twilight Co-Star Stole The Show
The British rock band Queen, formed in 1970 served some timeless music during their era, with lead singer Freddie Mercury stealing the show. Doing live performances and enchanting fans, the band almost became immortal, until the death of Mercury. Although started with the idea of never fading into the sunset, Queen was never the same after losing the lead singer.
However, decades later, Hollywood revived the band to its graceful days when they turned the story of Freddie Mercury into a biopic. Thus, coming up with Bohemian Rhapsody, a name inspired by Queen’s own music, directors Bryan Singer and Dexter Fletcher, paid homage to the lead singer. But, the casting was something that concerned the filmmakers.
At one point Sacha Baron Cohen was chosen for the role of Freddie Mercury, although he never made it to the silver screen. Apparently, after three years of pre-production, Cohen was either fired or left due to creative differences. That’s when Robert Pattinson‘s Twilight co-star Rami Malek was sought for an audition. And evidently, Malek stole the show as Mercury, and truly introduced a new generation of fans to the British band.
Rami Malek Flawlessly Mastered Freddie Mercury’s Accent
According to the directors, Bryan Singer and Dexter Fletcher, they needed an actor to take on a role of the caliber of the leading man of Queen. And certainly, it was not a child’s play. However, shocking everyone Rami Malek simply embodied the spirit of Freddie Mercury, most authentically. Further, there was a sort of familiarity between Malek and Queen, when they all met before the shooting began.
When Queen met with Rami Malek, they instantly recognized that no one else could portray Mercury’s role as authentically as Malek. Thus, they were forever grateful that the actor agreed to take on the role. During an interview with Deadline, Brian May, the guitarist of Queen, even explained how things clicked between them and Malek.
“After a few minutes with him in Roger’s flat, everything about Rami had clicked with us. His reading of Freddie’s personality was spot on. His instinctive ‘inhabiting’ of Freddie’s physical presence was already uncanny.”
Further, taking a moment to appreciate Rami Malek’s work, and reflecting upon his audition tape, Brian May spoke about the actor’s dedication towards his art. May discussed how Malek simply did the unthinkable and mastered the iconic musician’s role down to his accent.
“We watched his demo screen tests — which were great — but really it was the feeling in the room that here was the perfect man to don Freddie like an overcoat! Of course, Rami had already mastered Freddie’s unique accent and tone of voice. But his characterization went much further than that.”
Certainly, Rami Malek proved to be the perfect choice for Bohemian Rhapsody, and the best embodiment of Freddie Mercury.
Watch Bohemian Rhapsody on Apple TV.
Source: Deadline
