In the weeks following the release of Bohemian Rhapsody, the members of Queen have come out to talk a lot about the process of making the movie and making sure that a lot of the period details in the movie are correct. However, we haven't heard a ton from drummer Roger Taylor about his portrayal in the film, but he recently spoke out about Bohemian Rhapsody, noting after he screened the film,
They got very close to us, visually and as actors which made it particularly uncanny for us to watch. After a couple of viewings, I mean you just start to completely believe, 'Oh that was us.' No, no it's not. It's other people, but phenomenal.
A chunk of Bohemian Rhapsody features Freddie Mercury distancing himself from his bandmates in order to pursue a solo venture. In reality, more than one member of Queen worked on solo projects and Roger Taylor was actually the first to do so in 1981 with Fun in Space.
Plenty of details and timelines were changed in the new movie and some tension between Roger Taylor and Freddie Mercury is a key focal point in order to ramp up the drama within the band in the 1980s. However, Roger Taylor told Flicks and the City that the casting was well done and the portrayals were spot-on, even with some changes to the story.
It's not just Roger Taylor who got caught up in the actors' portrayal of Queen. Brian May also spoke out about how the band didn't get to see the actors "in full schtick" until "the first moment the cameras rolled."
As we've known from previous interviews, the first days of shooting were the major Live Aid scenes that have become a focal point in the marketing for the movie. Even the Live Aid sets "sent shivers" down Brian May's spine and that was just amplified by the performances from Rami Malek, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy and Joe Mazzello. Per May:
And then these guys come on and they are us. And they plunged in the deep end. It was like the pinnacle performance they had to pull off right at the beginning of shooting. It was tough but they had it down... I do kind of believe it's me. 'Oh no, it's him!' Like Roger said, it even suspends our disbelief, really.
Bohemian Rhapsody has become a bit of a worldwide phenomenon in the weeks after its release. The movie has been a big crowd pleaser and has already grossed over $500 million worldwide. It helps that Roger Taylor and Brian May have been so vocal about the movie with the fanbase and have come out to lovingly talk about the band and Freddie Mercury, even after the flick has pointed out some flaws and fissures with the band.
If you haven't been able to catch the movie yet, it's currently in theaters. To see what else will be out before the end of the year, take a look at our full movies schedule.
