Rami Malek found his Oscar nomination "incredibly shocking".
The 37-year-old actor has received his first Academy Awards nod for Actor in a Leading Role – which he will contest against Christian Bale (‘Vice’), Bradley Cooper (‘A Star Is Born’), Willem Dafoe (‘At Eternity’s Gate’) and Viggo Mortensen (‘Green Book’) – thanks to his performance in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and though he admitted landing a place on the shortlist seemed "more attainable" after he recently won a Golden Globe for his work on the movie, it still wasn’t something he expected.
Asked if he thought he would get a nomination following his Globe win, he said: "I guess at that point, you start to consider it.
"I’m always so thankful that I get to be a working actor. The percentage of people who get to do this is so small that getting accolades like this seems so distant always, whether you’ve received awards in the past or not.
"But I think perhaps after getting the Globe, it seemed more attainable — but there’s something about hearing the words that you’re an Oscar nominated actor that are still going to be incredibly shocking.
"It’s a profoundly humbling moment for me.
The nominations were announced on Tuesday (21.01.19) morning – but Rami hadn’t realised when they would be revealed so it’s made his day even more "magical".
He told Entertainment Weekly: "I’m in Paris working, so I didn’t realise it was today, because I try never to ask anybody when these moments are. Then the telephone started fluttering away, and it’s a beautiful snowy day, so there’s something quite magical the way it’s happening.
"It’s just something you never expect to happen. It’s like a distant dream that actors have and hope for to some degree. But it’s never really felt in the realm of possibilities — it’s a pretty joyous occasion to say the least."
The 91st Academy Awards take place on February 24.
Rami Malek shocked by Oscars nod
