Bryan Singer is back in the headlines this week, and it’s got nothing to do with the fact that his latest movie Bohemian Rhapsody picked up five nominations at the Oscars including Best Picture, but rather a fresh wave of allegations about sexual assault and misconduct.
The allegations are sure to have put the dampeners on the celebrations for everyone else involved with Bohemian Rhapsody, a film which Singer was fired from with just weeks of filming remaining.
However, speaking to The Los Angeles Times in the wake of his Best Actor nod for his role as Freddie Mercury, Rami Malek has revealed that he’s been living under a rock for the past two decades and wasn’t actually aware of any of the controversies surrounding Singer.
“As far as I knew, I was considered before Bryan was even attached,” said Malek. “So I had my head down preparing for this for about a year ahead of time, and I never really looked up. I didn’t know much about Bryan. I think that the allegations and things were, believe it or not, honestly something I was not aware of, and that is what it is.”
Malek also explained why he left Singer out of his acceptable speech at the Golden Globes, where he was honoured with the Best Actor – Drama award: “There’s only one thing we needed to do and that was to celebrate Freddie Mercury in this film. He is a marvel. There is only one Freddie Mercury and nothing would compromise us giving him the love, celebration and adulation he deserves.”
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Bohemian Rhapsody is a foot-stomping celebration of Queen, their music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury, who defied stereotypes and shattered convention to become one of the most beloved entertainers on the planet. The film traces the meteoric rise of the band through their iconic songs and revolutionary sound, their near-implosion as Mercury’s lifestyle spirals out of control, and their triumphant reunion on the eve of Live Aid, where Mercury, facing a life-threatening illness, leads the band in one of the greatest performances in the history of rock music. In the process, cementing the legacy of a band that were always more like a family, and who continue to inspire outsiders, dreamers and music lovers to this day.
Bohemian Rhapsody features a cast that includes Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury, Ben Hardy as Roger Taylor, Gwilym Lee as Brian May, Joseph Mazzello as John Deacon, Lucy Boynton as Mary Austin, Aaron McCusker as Jim Hutton, Aidan Gillen as John Reid, Tom Hollander as Jim Beach, Allen Leech as Paul Prenter and Mike Myers as Ray Foster.
