The film world is currently in the midst of Awards Season, with critical favorites from the last calendar year earning nominations and wins at a variety of ceremonies. With the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, and BAFTAs now in the rear view, the time has come to look toward the holy grail: The Academy Awards. Plenty of filmmakers and actors are looking to snag a trophy in a few weeks, with certain performances being the clear frontrunners.
One of these frontrunners is Rami Malek's role as Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in the hit biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. Malek brought the physicality, teeth, and voice of Mercury to the silver screen, in a performance supported by Queen's band members. The Mr. Robot actor might have made the performance look effortless, but he recently revealed it was the hardest job in his career, saying:
Nothing about this job was easy. This was by far the most difficult job of m life. The thing about Queen is they have a built-in audience. Their music, it has lasted for generations. They’ve been working on music for 50 years. Everyone knows at least one Queen song.
Rami Malek had big shoes to fill in Bohemian Rhapsody, as the 37 year-old actor had to immerse himself in the role and truly become Freddie Mercury. And considering that Queen has generations of fans, the pressure was on to deliver a performance that wouldn't spark outrage among that mass of moviegoers.
Luckily for him, Rami Malek's performance has been universally acclaimed. While Bohemian Rhapsody suffered from lackluster reviews, Malek's characterization still got nods from even the harshest critics. And in the end, audiences didn't find as many issues with Bryan Singer's biopic. Bohemian Rhapsody has since made a ton of money, helping to make Rami Malek a household name for more casual film fans who haven't caught him in USA's Mr. Robot.
In his same conversation with Express.Co, Rami Malek also expressed the flip side to his massively difficult role. Aside from garnering a ton of trophies and nominations for playing Freddie Mercury, Malek is happy that Bohemian Rhapsody is introducing Queen's catalogue to a new generation of fans. As he tells it,
What was beautiful about this film is, now we get to bring that music to a new generation. And allow the gorgeous legacy that Freddie and Queen have left behind to continue and they’re still going. Those guys won’t stop.
Rami Malek might have had a difficult time playing Freddie Mercury and dealing with the pressure of leading Bohemian Rhapsody, but it seems his efforts are paying off. Queen's music is once again at the top of the charts, while Malek is the frontrunner to pick up a Best Actor Oscar in a few weeks. We'll just have to see how it all turns out.
Bohemian Rhapsody is available for home purchase now, and you can see how Rami Malek fare at the Oscars February 24th on ABC. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
