Rami Malek insists ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ doesn’t "shy away’ from Freddie Mercury’s sexuality or battle with AIDS.
The 37-year-old actor portrays the late Queen frontman in the upcoming biopic – which chronicles their rise to fame, culminating with their 1985 performance at ‘Live Aid’ – and though it was criticised because of a teaser trailer which seemingly glossed over the subjects, the ‘Mr. Robot’ star doesn’t think the negative comments were justified.
He said: "It’s a shame that people are making remarks after a minute teaser where you just wanna see the music.
"It’s difficult. First, let me say that I don’t think the film shies away from his sexuality or his all-consuming disease, which is obviously AIDS.
"I don’t know how you could avoid any of that, or if anyone would ever want to. It’s a bit absurd that anyone’s judging this from a minute trailer."
And Rami believed it was important to approach Freddie’s battle with the disease and his death in 1991 in a "delicate matter" and get the tone just right.
He added in an interview with Attitude magazine: "The film needed to approach it in a delicate manner.
"You can’t shy away from it. It was an important moment to have in the film, one that ultimately is very sad but also empowering in a way. It shows you just how resilient human beings can be and how much we rely on the strength of our friends and family to get us through tough times.
"This pandemic is still very much a horrific threat to so many people in the world. It exists as a reality for so many that I think it would be a shame not to address it."
Read the full interview with Rami in the new issue of Attitude magazine, which is available in print and digital now.
Rami Malek defends Bohemian Rhapsody against criticism
