Rami Malek's Cannes reveal: Why he almost skipped 'The Man I Love'
Synopsis
Rami Malek almost walked away from 'The Man I Love' — an AIDS-era New York drama — because it felt too close to his Oscar-winning Freddie Mercury performance. What changed his mind was the director, Ira Sachs, and a lesson Freddie himself taught him: race into the fear.
Key Takeaways
Rami Malek initially hesitated to join Ira Sachs ' drama 'The Man I Love' due to its similarities with his role in 'Bohemian Rhapsody' .
The film follows a New York theatre performer navigating life and love after an AIDS diagnosis.
Malek plays a character named Jimmy , requiring him to sing on camera again — this time in intimate theatrical settings.
He credited his portrayal of Freddie Mercury with teaching him to 'address the fear' and ultimately accept the role.
The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival , where Malek spoke at a press conference.
Rami Malek has revealed that he initially resisted taking the lead role in director Ira Sachs' upcoming drama 'The Man I Love', citing uncomfortable parallels with his Oscar-winning turn as Freddie Mercury in 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. The actor made the admission at a press conference following the film's world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
The Role and the Hesitation
'The Man I Love' centres on a New York theatre performer who must reconcile life, love, and artistic devotion after being diagnosed with AIDS. For Malek, the script's emotional and biographical terrain felt dangerously close to ground he had already covered. 'When I read the script, I said, ‘I can’t do this. There’s too many similarities. It could be problematic,’' he said at the Cannes press conference.
The actor's reservations ran deeper than surface-level comparison. 'There was a certain sense of fear. I started to really think about what I was afraid of. Was it the similarities? Was it the singing? Was it what was going on in the period?' he reflected.
How Freddie Mercury Pushed Him Forward
Malek ultimately credited his experience playing the late Queen frontman with giving him the courage to proceed. 'I knew I had to address the fear. If there’s anything Freddie taught me, it was [to] address the fear,' he said. The actor had long sought a collaboration with Sachs, going so far as to ask his representatives to arrange a meeting with the filmmaker before the project materialised.
His confidence in Sachs as a director proved decisive. 'I knew I was in extraordinary hands, and that if he was choosing me, I could rely on him. Not only to depend on him throughout the film, but to elevate it, to push myself, to force myself to race into that fire,' Malek explained.
Similarities and Differences Between the Two Characters
Once Malek committed to the project, he found that the apparent overlap between the two roles dissolved under closer examination. 'When I raced into it, I started to discover that these men were similar, but they were also worlds apart,' he said. Playing Jimmy in 'The Man I Love' would again require him to sing on camera, but the context is markedly different — intimate theatrical performances rather than the stadium-scale spectacle that defined 'Bohemian Rhapsody'.
Sachs, Cannes, and What Comes Next
The world premiere at Cannes marks a significant moment for both Malek and Sachs, whose work is regarded in independent cinema circles for its emotional precision and character depth. Malek described Sachs as someone who 'makes unique cinema unlike any other' — a conviction that ultimately tipped the balance. The film's reception at Cannes 2025 will be closely watched as a signal of its awards-season trajectory.
Point of View
Music-driven, illness-shadowed roles in succession is a genuine typecasting risk for an actor who built his career on range. But his reasoning for saying yes is the more revealing detail: he trusted the director over the script. In an industry where stars routinely override creative judgment, that deference to a filmmaker like Sachs — whose audience is small but critical — says something about where Malek wants his career to go post-Mercury. Whether 'The Man I Love' can separate itself from the long shadow of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in the public imagination will depend entirely on how different Jimmy feels on screen.
NationPress
6 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is 'The Man I Love' about?
'The Man I Love' is a drama directed by Ira Sachs about a New York theatre performer navigating life, love, and his dedication to his art after being diagnosed with AIDS. Rami Malek plays the lead character, Jimmy.
Why did Rami Malek hesitate to take the role?
Malek felt the role was too similar to his Oscar-winning portrayal of Freddie Mercury in 'Bohemian Rhapsody' — both involve a gay or gay-adjacent character connected to music and illness. He described 'a certain sense of fear' before ultimately deciding to proceed.
What convinced Rami Malek to accept the role?
Malek said his long-held admiration for director Ira Sachs and the lesson he drew from playing Freddie Mercury — to confront rather than avoid fear — persuaded him to commit to the film.
Where did Rami Malek speak about the film?
Malek made his remarks at a press conference following the world premiere of 'The Man I Love' at the Cannes Film Festival.
Will Rami Malek sing again in 'The Man I Love'?
Yes, the role requires Malek to sing on camera, but in an intimate theatrical context rather than the stadium-scale performances depicted in 'Bohemian Rhapsody'.
