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Rami Malek almost said no, and Freddie Mercury is the reason why. The Oscar-winning actor revealed Thursday at the Cannes Film Festival that he initially hesitated to sign on to director Ira Sachs' new drama The Man I Love, fearing the role bore too many uncomfortable similarities to his celebrated portrayal of the Queen frontman in Bohemian Rhapsody.
"When I read the script, I said, 'I can't do this. There's too many similarities. It could be problematic,'" Malek told reporters at a press conference following the film's world premiere. "There was a certain sense of fear."
In The Man I Love, Malek plays Jimmy George, a talented singer and stage performer in 1980s New York who is navigating life, love and his devotion to art after an HIV diagnosis, a role that draws inevitable comparisons to Mercury, who also died of AIDS-related illness.
But Malek pushed through his reservations, drawing on a lesson the role of Mercury had taught him. "I knew I had to address the fear," he said. "If there's anything Freddie taught me, it was to address the fear."
What ultimately convinced him was his faith in Sachs, the acclaimed director behind Passages and Keep the Lights On. "I knew I was in extraordinary hands," Malek said. "When I raced into it, I started to discover that these men were similar, but they were also worlds apart."
The key distinction, Malek explained, lies in each man's relationship to ambition. Mercury was a global icon with a destination. Jimmy is something far more internal, searching for creativity, intimacy and joy in every fleeting moment, performing for the person next door rather than stadiums of thousands.
"I see them as two radically different figures altogether," Malek said.
The film earned a ten-minute standing ovation at its Cannes premiere Wednesday night, and is already generating significant Oscar buzz for Malek. Mubi holds international rights, with US distribution still up for grabs.
