Mercury Rising: Rami's Rockstar Transformation

Don’t Stop Him Now! Meet The Star Of Bohemian Rhapsody

- Judy Kean

He is currently Hollywood’s hottest actor and tipped for an Oscar following his success at the Golden Globes. But Rami Malek struggled so much in the early days of his acting career that he was on the verge of giving it up to become a real-estate agent.

The Bohemian Rhapsody star, who has wowed with his stunning performance as Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury, did a theatre degree at university but found it so hard to get acting work in Los Angeles that he had to earn a living delivering pizzas and making falafel sandwiches. For a while, selling houses seemed like a better option.

“There were times when I was so depressed and started losing confidence, especially when I did not receive any responses to the many resumés I sent out,” he recalls. “Also, working in a falafel shop when I have a movies, a vampire in Twilight: Breaking Dawn and a suicide bomber in the TV show 24. But it was his 2015 performance as depressed hacker Elliot Alderson in the series Mr Robot that made people sit up and take notice.

The first time Rami spotted a huge Mr Robot billboard with his face on it in a Los Angeles street, he slammed on his brakes in shock and the car behind rammed into his boot.

He won an Emmy award for Mr Robot and among the offers that followed was the chance to audition for Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody.

The role had originally been earmarked for Sacha Baron Cohen when the project was first discussed back in 2010, but the comedian eventually pulled out due to what he called “artistic differences” with Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor, who were university degree was not easy.”