Category - Celebrities
'James Bond' Star Rami Malek Reveals Horrific Racial Profiling Incident
Actor Rami Malek got specific into his experiences concerning racism as an Egyptian-American.
Speaking with The Guardian, Malek broke down one incident which involved himself getting physically thrown onto the hood of a police vehicle in Los Angeles.
"I got thrown on the bonnet of an LAPD cop car because someone had robbed a liquor store and stolen a woman's bag," the Bohemian Rhapsody star told the publication. "They said the [thief] was of Latin descent and, 'You fit the description.' I remember how hot that engine was, they must have been racing over there and it was almost burning my hands."
Malek explained how a "clever" friend helped calm the situation with the authorities.
"My friend, who was Caucasian, was clever enough to go, 'Actually, sir, he's Egyptian. Not Latin," he said. "I remember laughing on the cop car, thinking, 'OK, this is a very precarious situation. I may well be going to jail for something I've not done.'"
In 2021 Malek played the main, memorable villain, the terrorist leader Lyutsifer Safin, in the Daniel Craig-led James Bond movie No Time to Die. As Safin, Malek's face was covered with scars from a chemical attack.
Malek won the 2019 Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury in the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.
Related: Daniel Craig Does Care About the Next James Bond, Despite What He's Said
Up next for the actor is the spy thriller The Amateur with Laurence Fishburne, Jon Bernthal, and Holt McCallany. James Hawes directs the movie. It hits theaters on April 11, 2025. Check out the trailer below.