Rami Malek. “My agent spends time telling me. “Shut up Rami, you talk too much!”

Rami Malek enters and the room, a spacious room in a Parisian palace, becomes too small. He does not impose himself in a recognized way. on the contrary, he offers a chair, drinks, offers to put our things aside. Nor that he is a man whose constitution hinders the light; the actor is slender, his arms and legs dancing in a sleek feline ballet. The explanation is different. In short, one can say charisma, but it is not enough. The magnetic appeal of this new champion of American cinema comes from a disturbing mix. On the one hand, old-fashioned courtesy. he holds your hand tightly for a long time, his round blue eyes staring at you, wanting to know the photographer’s assistant’s name so he can properly greet him upon arrival and departure. low, flat, quiet voice. On the other hand, hard-to-contain, vibrating energy. Sitting, standing, Rami Malek doesn’t stay put, the mischievous smile still in the corner. This magical hot-cold could not believe the emotion that arises at the very end of the interview, the undisguised tears about childhood and the hidden and burning desire to become an actor.

In the video, Rami Malek meets Catherine Deneuve in a Cartier ad

This well-known place in Hollywood, which no one now contests for him, he won by a hard fight, first against himself and what he thought was his duty as a “good son,” then by work; furiously. His performance as the lead singer of Queen for the Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), Bewitched Critics. even those disappointed by the film praised the actor, a disturbing reincarnation of accuracy. Unanimity again as Rami Malek camps James Bond’s fearsome antagonist Dying can wait (2021). We have seen him as a Machiavellian dandy Amsterdam David O. By Russell, we expect it in July OppenheimerChristopher Nolan’s blockbuster, while other projects are agitating…

It’s a TV series Mr. Robot (2015-2019), which elevated his career, previously limited to supporting roles; pharaoh in three volumes Night at the museumis a student It’s never too lateby Tom Hanks (2011), in the final chapter of the vampire saga Dusk (2012). the success of Mr. Robot, where he’s in on nearly every plan, the antisocial but humanistic hacker hero, earned him a 2016 Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. It had been twenty years since a “non-white” performer, the American press emphasizes, had not won this prestigious trophy.

Rami Malek grew up in Los Angeles, the son of an Egyptian immigrant couple who arrived there shortly before he was born. At the beginning of their exile, the hope of offering their children a “better life” than their own. For Rami Malek, like his twin brother Sami and their older sister Yasmin, their parents want a “serious” job: a lawyer or a doctor. But the shy child who “invents characters” has other dreams. When he won the Oscar for Best Actor in 2019 Bohemian RhapsodyIn his speech, Rami Malek spoke of a child who “lost his identity.” Today, at the age of 41, on the occasion of the re-release of the Tank Française de Cartier watch, of which he is an ambassador, he talks to us about this “little Ramy”, his career and the power of cinema.

Miss Figaro. – You shot a commercial with Catherine Deneuve, directed by Guy Ritchie, celebrating the re-release of Cartier’s Tank Française watch. What are your memories of this experience?
Rami Malek. – A charming memory! I have been cooperating with Cartier for five years. I like everything that the brand represents. For me, no other brand achieves this level of both sophistication and respect, presence in the world. We shot on Alexandra-III bridge. This opportunity to work with Catherine Deneuve and Guy Ritchie was magical. It was also my first shoot in Paris, where part of my family lives. My cousin Virginie came to the set with her daughter Gabi. Virginie is one of my best friends. When I went to the “Quotidien” program three years ago, I joked with him. I arranged for him to be filmed in the audience. We had a good laugh, he was so embarrassed. The next day all his friends called him. I apologized, but he said. “No, it was embarrassing, but it was worth it.”

You started by selling falafels in Hollywood, chaining castings, today you seem to have become a producer.
I’m going to produce an action movie in the spirit of movies like that The runaway Where? Memory in the skin, that is, a thriller, but with emotions and something elegant and complex. We start shooting in March. The great thing about being a producer is that I can directly call people that I love, that I trust, to direct the photography, the costumes… I called the makeup artist who was working on it. Bohemian Rhapsody. You don’t have to go through his agent, just. “Do you want to make my movie?” This is the dream! I scouted locations in Paris because we’re going to shoot all these incredible things there that I never imagined I’d do.

These storiessubordinatespeople that no one expected and that we celebrate today are so important

Rami Malek

But you’re also playing the lead role in this movie you’re going to make.
(He bursts out laughing.) Yes, eventually, I hope. I also have another project that I am writing. I’m halfway there. I don’t want to talk too much about it because it’s very close to my heart, it will be the first time I understand… And my agent spends time telling me: “Shut up, Rami, talk too. a lot!” It’s set in Los Angeles, the city I grew up in, because I know it incredibly well and because it’s in my blood. When I was a kid, I crossed it on a bus. I’d like to shoot in places that you you don’t see in the cinema. But I don’t want to reveal all my favorite places either. With Paul Thomas Anderson (Rami Malek starred in his film The masterreleased in 2012, Ed.), we both grew up there and we argue a lot. I tell him. “You’re the one who shows us all our secret places in the movie theater so we can’t go back there later. The film will take place in one evening. We will shoot only at night. I feel like going out at night is when I thrive. I like silence, creative excitement. Here I work on my roles, where I write. Sometimes I see actors who suffer when they are told that there will be night scenes, for me it is the opposite, I am happy.

Are you recovering from being Freddie Mercury, tired of talking all the time?
I can’t get enough of it, it’s something I will always treasure. Because Freddie had such an impact not only on me, but on people all over the world. These storiessubordinatesPeople whom no one expected and whom we celebrate today are so important. I feel connected to Freddie, he is an inspiration to me. And I have a great relationship with the band, I had dinner with Roger Taylor again two days ago. It is an extraordinary gift that has been offered to me.

In the video, Bohemian Rhapsodythe teaser

“Perhaps not all roles should be played on the edge of a cliff…”

Your three most popular characters? Mr. Robot, Bohemian Rhapsody and James Bond are men who do not fit into society’s norms. is it a coincidence?
(He smiles, thinks.) in 2016, I shot a film in Belgrade, the remake Butterfly. It was after the Emmys Mr. Robot. Arriving at the hotel, a group of young people, fans of the show, were waiting there. They needed to act, to express themselves… And what they told me about Elliott’s character was that he gave them hope. The feeling that they don’t have to be just teeth. That everyone can play their part, even when history says otherwise, that your social and political environment makes it terribly difficult. I was amazed at their reaction. I thought it was worth playing these characters. Now… I don’t mind shooting romance, or anything light hearted. I would never have said this a few years ago, but I’m learning on the job, and if these roles make people happy too, then that’s good. Maybe not all the roles are meant to be played on the edge of the cliff… But they are the most attractive nonetheless.

When you received your “Oscar”, you talked about yourself, about “little Rami” in your childhood, do you often think about your childhood?
Yes, very often. Maybe it’s tiring to hear actors say, “I was so shy,” but it’s the truth, I was terribly shy. And I grew up in an environment where we didn’t have the latest toys or trendy clothes. I won’t complain, let’s say, I was alone with my thoughts for a long time. I was creating characters for myself that were completely outside of me, stories that I would never dare share with anyone. It was a very secret thing. So I was quiet and… come on, that moment when you’re young and stubborn about your identity, wondering why you’re a certain person in private and why you’re completely restricted in public. I remember thinking on that Oscar stage.

Do you remember when you first shared your secret desire to be an actor?
It’s a long story. I will summarize. I had signed up for a “debate” class, the kind found in American high schools. Because I told myself that my parents worked so hard to make it, I should become a lawyer or a politician for them. But I was not good at debating. And the teacher felt that I would be better at acting… So he signed me up for some theater competition. He gave me a monologue to learn, and I immediately got into character. This is the first time that I invite my parents to see something in high school. For the first time I had the courage to say (her voice is broken, she cries), to say, can you come to this performance, they came, they had an emotional reaction. I had never seen them like that with me. I thought, then it is possible. Doing theatre, acting can transform things. (He gets up, still moving.) Well, I have to stop.