Rami Malek has revealed he was once arrested for robbing a liquor store in Los Angeles – despite having nothing to do with the crime.
The Bohemian Rhapsody Oscar winner, 43, who is of Egyptian heritage, was incorrectly profiled as fitting the description of a thief of Latin descent by officers operating in the area at the time.
Malek, who describes himself as “white passing” admitted he feared he would go to jail for the crime he hadn’t committed, despite his appearance being entirely different to the man police were searching for.
Speaking to The Guardian, Malek recalled: “I got thrown on the bonnet of an LAPD cop car because someone had robbed a liquor store and stolen a woman’s bag.
“They said the [thief] was of Latin descent and, ‘You fit the description,’” he continued. “I remember how hot that engine was, they must have been racing over there and it was almost burning my hands.”
The No Time to Die star said his Caucasian friend, who was with him at the time of his arrest, was “clever enough” to tell police officers: “‘Actually, sir, he’s Egyptian. Not Latin.’”
He added: “I remember laughing on the cop car, thinking, ‘OK, this is a very precarious situation. I may well be going to jail for something I’ve not done.’”
Reflecting on growing up in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, after his parents relocated to the US in 1978, Malek admitted his father struggled to accept “certain aspects” of American culture.
“I don’t know how you ever get over that,” he said. “I’m what’s called ‘white passing’, but I have very distinctive features, and we definitely didn’t fit in.”
When accepting his role as the villain in Bond 25 back in 2021, Malek insisted that his character wouldn’t be an Arabic-speaking terrorist, or a villain who uses religion as justification for his crimes.
“That was one thing that I discussed with [director] Cary Fukunaga,” he told The Mirror at the time.
“I said, ‘We cannot identify him with any act of terrorism reflecting an ideology or a religion. That’s not something I would entertain, so if that is why I am your choice then you can count me out’.
“But that was clearly not his vision. So he’s a very different kind of terrorist,” Malek added.
Speaking of his Egyptian heritage as “the fabric of who I am”, Malek added: “I am Egyptian. I grew up listening to Egyptian music. I loved Omar Sharif.
“These are my people. I feel so gorgeously tied to the culture and the human beings that exist there.”
