Rami Malek believed that it 'could be problematic' to play a gay man in his new drama after portraying Freddie Mercury in an Oscar-winning role eight years earlier. The 45-year-old actor, whose music fantasy film The Man I Love had its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday, got candid about his reservations to initially play the leading part in the movie at a press conference.
Reservations About the Role
Malek portrayed the late Queen frontman in the 2018 biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. Mercury passed away in 1991 at the age of 45 from complications amid his AIDS battle. In his latest project, which was directed by Ira Sachs, the star plays a man named Jimmy George in 1980s New York who is also facing a battle with AIDS.
'When I read the script, I said, "I can't do this. There's too many similarities. It could be problematic,"' he admitted on Thursday, per Variety. Despite having 'a certain sense of fear,' Malek began to question what he had been 'afraid of.'
Confronting Fear
'Was it the similarities? Was it the singing? Was it what was going on in the period?' the star had asked himself. Malek revealed that after playing Mercury in the past, he had learned from the late singer to 'address the fear.' The actor expressed that he put trust in the director since he 'knew I was in extraordinary hands.'
'Not only to depend on him throughout the film, but to elevate it, to push myself, to force myself to race into that fire.' And while Mercury and his character in The Man I Love have similarities, Malek explained that 'they were also worlds apart.' He later reflected, 'I see them as two radically different figures altogether - especially as I have some more distance from it.'
Casting and Director's Insight
Sachs also opened up about casting Malek in the role of entertainer Jimmy George. 'With a film like this, you needed someone who had a certain kind of mystery, a certain kind of potential for the unexpected, but also truly a star quality.' The director continued, 'Because there is a whole universe which revolves around Jimmy and Rami in the film. A star is someone who emits light and also asks to be seen.'
Malek previously gushed about having the chance to work alongside Sachs for The Man I Love. 'He is such a unique filmmaker with a very, very specific perspective and voice that I wish more people were aware of,' the actor told The Hollywood Reporter earlier this month. 'Hopefully this film exposes so many to what that man is capable of and has created over his body of work.'
A Worthwhile Risk
The Mr. Robot star also expressed how taking on the role of Jimmy had 'felt like a very big risk worth taking.' He added, 'And to that, it's a film about people who create and what that costs.' The Man I Love had its premiere at the 79th Annual Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday where it is competing for the Palme d'Or and Queer Palm. Malek became emotional as the movie garnered an eight-minute standing ovation following its screening, Variety reported.
Director's Reflection and Cast
Sachs further reflected on his film after the premiere by saying, 'This is a film about what we can bring to each other through art, through love, through pain, through memory. And I hope there are some memories we share from this evening for the festival and our love of cinema.' The cast of the drama also includes Tom Sturridge, Luther Ford, Rebecca Hall and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. The premise is: 'In 1980s NYC, an artist experiences a precious window between sickness and mortality - a time when beauty and love remain within reach,' per IMDB.
Past Success and Future Projects
Back in 2019, Malek won the Academy Award for Best Actor based on his performance as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody (2018). 'The scariest endeavors that I've chosen to take in my life have been the most fulfilling and rewarding,' he told The Guardian when it came to portraying the late singer. 'And this has proven to defend that equation,' the actor continued to the outlet. Malek's other recent projects include the action thriller The Amateur (2025) and psychological historical drama Nuremberg (2025).
