Watch Rami Malek Discuss His Mind-Blowing Transformation Into Freddie Mercury
Nov. 2 is the big day. That’s when Bohemian Rhapsody, the Bryan Singer-directed biopic of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, officially opens in theaters. And as the perfect tease before a surefire uproarious response to the film, we’ve been gifted with a short featurette all about Malek’s jaw-dropping transformation. It should be no surprise that a lot of work was required to turn the Mr. Robot star into the world’s greatest rock frontman for the highly anticipated Freddie Mercury biopic, and you’ll see just how much below.
“When you set out to play Freddie Mercury, you think, ‘How am I ever going to fill those shoes.’ It’s an immense responsibility, but one I was very eager to take on,” Malek says in the featurette. “You don’t want to mimic Freddie. You want to be able to understand why he did what he did.”
The actor, his co-stars and the film crew detail the work Malek put in with a movement coach in order to nail down the mannerisms and “flick of the microphone” required to convey Mercury accurately.
There were also reportedly 50 hours of costume fittings involved for the Freddie Mercury biopic, the wardrobe for which includes a lot of platform heels and tight-fitting, full-body lycra.
“When you dress as Freddie does,” Malek says, “it makes every day feel like it’s gonna be a good time.”
Watch this featurette on Bohemian Rhapsody, the Freddie Mercury biopic, here:
Also, last month Hornet had the opportunity to sit down with the cast and producer of Bohemian Rhapsody, and I asked Malek and his co-stars what it was like to look in the mirror (or look at the guy next to them on set) and see the one and only Freddie Mercury staring back.
