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Bohemian Rhapsody star Rami Malek’s bizarre confession

Rami Malek might have been the biggest toast of Hollywood this year, but he has revealed he lives with anxiety about his performances.

Malek accepts best actor Oscar

He’s one of the biggest stars in the world right now, having won an Oscar this year for Best Actor.

But Rami Malek has revealed he can’t watch other movies because it increases his anxiety about his own performance.

The 38-year-old spoke to Foxtel magazine about the final season of his hit show Mr Robot, which hits streaming on Foxtel Now today, and admitted to being his own harshest critic.

“Sometimes I’m not satisfied unless things are as good as they can be,” he said.

“I never want to look back on performances where I could have done more, said this or that.

“I won’t watch movies ’cause then I start comparing myself to the actors I’m watching.

“That’s a horrible, abusive thing to do to oneself.

“I live with my anxiety and fears and want to do something special with my work.”

Rami Malek accepts the award for Best Actor during the 91st Annual Academy Awards. Picture: Valerie Macon/AFP
Rami Malek accepts the award for Best Actor during the 91st Annual Academy Awards. Picture: Valerie Macon/AFP

Malek, who was the toast of Hollywood this year for his portrayal of late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in box office smash Bohemian Rhapsody, which is streaming on Foxtel Now, also opened up about starring in the next James Bond film, No Time To Die, admitting he felt immense pressure joining the cast.

Rami Malek stars as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. Picture: Alex Bailey
Rami Malek stars as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. Picture: Alex Bailey

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“It is taxing, I will not lie. It is very, very taxing,” he said of filming.

“(But I’m playing) a great character and I’m very excited. It’s another extremely clever script from the people who have figured out exactly what people want in those movies.

“But I feel a substantial weight on my shoulders. I mean, Bond is something that we all grew up with.”

Mr Robot has just returned for its fourth and final season. Malek plays brilliant computer hacker Elliot Alderson in his breakout role that earned him the 2016 Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

Malek said the series changed everything for him as an actor.

“People didn’t know where to place me with my ethnicity, and never was I ever up for leading anything,” he said.

“The fact that Rami Malek got to play the lead character called Elliot Alderson in Mr Robot was somewhat of a coup.

“I never saw that possibility when I was younger. That’s a character I hold so deeply in my heart, so it’ll be hard work to walk away from Elliot, (but) it’s nice to walk away on a high note.

“This show put me in a position where people could see what I was capable of.”

Mr Robot is now available to stream on Foxtel Now

Originally published as Bohemian Rhapsody star Rami Malek’s bizarre confession

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Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/movies/bohemian-rhapsody-star-rami-maleks-bizarre-confession/news-story/5eb5acc9de972c4629a12f2d9c09ce0a