Rami Malek has come a long way in his transformation. From playing the role of a hacker with social anxiety disorder in "Mr. Robot", Malek will soon find himself as the flamboyant lead singer of British iconic band, Queen, in the movie "Bohemian Rhapsody".
After the announcement that the 36-year old Emmy Award-winning actor will play the role of the late Freddie Mercury in the 2018 movie, “Bohemian Rhapsody”, the first photos of his transformation surfaced.
Much to the amazement of millions of rock and roll fans, there’s no mistake -- Malek closely resembles the iconic singer. But does he have the range?
Being Freddie Mercury
“When you’re able to open your eyes and see a different person staring back at you in the mirror, it’s a very affirming moment,” Malek recalled as he transformed into Queen’s iconic frontman Freddie Mercury. Indeed, many fans cannot help but be mesmerized after seeing the cyber security engineer of USA Network’s “Mr. Robot” turned into one of the most recognizable faces of rock and roll.
But while Malek may have the looks of Freddie Mercury, many have their doubts that he can mimic his legendary vocal range.
Mercury, who would have turned 71 today, had an incredible four-octave voice. Malek is very well aware of that and so as part of his preparation for the movie, he’s stretching his vocal chords instead of focusing on acting.
According to Entertainment Weekly, some singing parts of the movie will feature Malek’s own voice plus the recordings of Mercury with sound-alike filling in between gaps. He admitted that that having a close resemblance to the late singer increases the level of his confidence in playing Mercury’s role.
Greatest live performance
The movie will tell the story of the formation of Queen in 1970, according to sources. The finale of the movie “Bohemian Rhapsody” will showcase the band’s performance at Live Aid in 1985.
A group of music executives voted this concert as the greatest live performance in the history of rock.
Director Brian Singer described “Bohemian Rhapsody” as not just your ordinary, traditional biopic. They won’t focus on the dark side of the story. Instead, they will focus on honoring Queen’s music, “It’s about collaboration. It’s a celebration.”
From Rated-R to Rated-PG
Sacha Baron Cohen, who was the first choice to direct the film, cited creative differences as to why he decided to drop out from the movie. In an interview with Howard Stern, Baron Cohen revealed that the surviving members of Queen did not agree with the story he presented.
Baron Cohen planned an R-rated movie exploring Mercury’s “wild lifestyle” but the band members wanted to have a PG-rated movie. “I fully understand why Queen wanted to do this — if you’re in control of your rights and your life story, why wouldn’t you depict yourself as great as possible?” the director said.