Rami Malek on working with Bohemian Rhapsody director Bryan Singer: It was not pleasant at all

Actor Rami Malek was honoured at the recent Santa Barbara Film Festival, and in his acceptance speech broke his silence on working with Bohemian Rhapsody director Bryan Singer. Malek plays Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in the biopic, for which he has been nominated for an Oscar.

Singer was fired from the project with a few weeks of filming left, and was replaced by Dexter Fletcher. While the official reason given was his unprofessionalism and absence from set, it is widely speculated that Singer being accused by multiple people of sexual misconduct was a reason. A recent piece in The Atlantic details new accounts against Singer, who allegedly had sex with multiple minor boys against their will over several years.

Malek in his acceptance speech said, “My heart goes out to anyone who has to live through anything like what I’ve heard and what is out there. It’s awful, it’s remarkable that this happens, I can appreciate so much what they’ve been through and how difficult this must be for them. In the light of the #MeToo era that this somehow seems to exist after that, it’s a horrible thing.”

Malek said that, “Everyone deserves a voice and anyone who wants to talk about what happened with Bryan deserves to have their voice heard.”

It was reported that the actor clashed with Singer on multiple occasions on set. Speaking about his experience working with the director, Malek said, “In my situation with Bryan, it was not pleasant, not at all. And that’s about what I can say about it at this point.”

Bohemian Rhapsody, despite mixed reviews, has become a worldwide blockbuster, making more than $800 million at the box office. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Singer will make $40 million for his work on the film, despite being fired. He remains the sole credited director on the movie.

Malek continued, “For anyone who is seeking any solace in all of this, Bryan Singer was fired. Bryan Singer was fired, I don’t think that was something anyone saw coming but I think that had to happen and it did.” Singer has denied the claims.

Despite the controversy, Bohemian Rhapsody has been nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture. Singer has been active on Instagram, and even thanked the Hollywood Foreign Press Association after the film won the top award at the Golden Globes. He has since removed posts about Bohemian Rhapsody from his social media.

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