Man For All Seasons - Rami Malek

Hollywood A-lister Rami Malek's steely demeanour belies a sensitive and thoughtful soul who possesses the ability to transform into extraordinary characters on screen. Kenneth Goh meets the actor for whom style and elegance go hand in hand.

- Kenneth Goh

There's something incredibly electrifying about Rami Malek. The Egyptian-American actor may be small in stature but he is big in personality, though not in a loud, brash way. He has an intense gaze that draws you in, and an approachable manner. I first met Malek, one of Cartier's celebrity ambassadors, on the rooftop bar of The Peninsula Hotel in Paris late last year, at the relaunch of the Tank Française, a watch that turns 27 this year. I was excited to meet him, and he was very warm and friendly throughout dinner, engaging in light-hearted conversations with everyone around him. My interview with him was scheduled for the next day. I had the last slot, which in retrospect, was not the best choice. As it turns out, Malek is an enthusiastic interviewee; the 20 minutes allocated for each journalist stretched to an hour. Multiply that by 20 journalists-you get the picture. Despite the back-to-back interviews, Malek had plenty of chatter left in him. Apologising profusely for the delay, he quickly settled down to talk about his craft, what fashion means to him, and his long-standing devotion to his Cartier Tank watch.

Guy Ritchie-what a great opportunity to film the Cartier commercial with such an acclaimed director.

We were supposed to talk about the film, and two hours later, he got up to say goodbye. I was like, "Do you not want to discuss this project?" I found it quite elegant that he just didn't charge right into work. It was kind of an audition to see if we were going to get along, and that was most definitely the case. I wanted to get a sense of someone you're working with, especially when you're spending that much time with a human being.

What do you like about his films?