Pleasantly surprised. Christian Slater admitted that despite knowing Rami Malek is a talented actor, he still had reservations about him portraying the late Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody.
The Heathers alum, 49, touched on his Mr. Robot costar’s performance in the Queen biopic while attending the Ghetto Film School Fall Gala in Beverly Hills on Monday, November 5. Noting that he had just seen a screening, Slater told Us Weekly exclusively, “It was just extraordinary, I was so blown away by the movie and his performance, in particular. His work, he morphed himself into becoming Freddie Mercury, which is really an astronomical job because those shoes are so huge to fill.”
“Honestly, I was a little nervous. I know how talented and brilliant he is, but that’s a large task to take on. From the get-go, he flew himself to London, he hired the dance coach to help him get the moves. He did all of those things prior to production. The results are all up there on the screen,” he continued. “It’s incredible, it’s amazing.”
Malek — who stars alongside Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy and Joe Mazzello in the movie that depicts Queen’s rise to the top — has been getting rave reviews for his performance as singer Freddie Mercury, who died at the age from 45 from an AIDS-related illness in 1991.
Slater, for his part, is looking forward to starting a new chapter once Mr. Robot ends after its upcoming fourth season. “I am excited. Certainly Mr. Robot has been a phenomenal experience, I can’t wait to get back there. It’s definitely been one of the longer hiatuses that I’ve ever experienced. I’m grateful for that,” he told Us. “Afterwards, I’m just reading a lot of things, developing things and looking for things that I can continue to be proud of and be a part of.”
With reporting by Nicholas White
