Rami Malek was afraid of playing another character with AIDS after Freddy Mercury

Actor Rami Malek, 45, revealed in an interview with Deadline that he was initially afraid of playing the character Jimmy George in "The Man I Love", an artist who fought AIDS, after having played musician Freddy Mercury in a 2018 biographical film. The lead singer of the band Queen also died as a result of complications from the syndrome in 1991.

The actor said that, after reading the script, his first thought was: "I can't do that, there are too many similarities [between the two]". He confessed that he found it problematic and that he was afraid of the repercussions.

The feature film "The Man I Love", directed by Ira Sachs, follows a renowned artist in the trendy New York of the 1980s. After three weeks in a hospital to be treated for contracting the HIV virus, he pushes his health to the limit to star in what could be his last theatrical production.

"If there's anything I learned from Ira, it's that he makes unique cinema, unlike any other, and I knew I was in extraordinary hands," explained Malek.

He stated that he felt he could trust the director with the project and that he forced himself to "run towards the fire" to play the protagonist. "I see them as two radically different figures," he added of Freddie and Jimmy, after completing filming on the latter film.

The film "The Man I Love" also stars Tom Sturridge, Luther Ford, Rebecca Hall and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this Wednesday (20).

Cannes Festival: understand the importance and highlights of 2026

Source: CNN