
'Bohemian Rhapsody' actor Rami Malek shares his experiences with racial profiling, recounting an incident with the Los Angeles Police Department and what happened when he's at airports.
- Jan 19, 2025
AceShowbiz - Academy Award-winning actor Rami Malek has opened up about a disturbing encounter with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) where he was racially profiled. In an interview with The Guardian, Malek shared the harrowing experience, which occurred when he was mistaken for a suspect in a robbery.
Malek recounted that the LAPD officers arrested him after a liquor store was robbed and a woman's bag was stolen. The officers claimed that the suspect was of Latin descent and that Malek fit the description. Despite his friend's intervention, explaining that Malek was Egyptian, not Latin, the officers "threw" him on the hood of a cop car.
"I remember how hot that engine was; they must have been racing over there and it was almost burning my hands," he recalled his reaction. "This is a very precarious situation. I may well be going to jail for something I've not done."
The actor delved into his childhood experiences in '90s Los Angeles, where fitting in was a challenge due to his distinctive features and cultural background. "I'm what's called 'white passing' but I have very distinctive features, and we definitely didn't fit in," he explained.
The "Mr. Robot" alum also shared his broader experiences of racial profiling, especially at airports, noting that his full name, Rami Said Malek, would frequently trigger security alerts. Things got slightly better after his Oscar-winning role as Freddie Mercury in a Queen biopic.
"These days, there might be a moment. Then they'll go, 'Nah, that's the guy from Bohemian Rhapsody. Let him through," he said.
Currently, Rami Malek is preparing for a busy 2025. He is set to debut on the London stage in the Sophocles tragedy, "Oedipus," at the Old Vic Theatre, starting January 21 through March 29.
In addition to his stage work, Malek will headline "The Amateur," a thriller set to premiere on April 11, 2025. The film, featuring Laurence Fishburne, Rachel Brosnahan, and Jon Bernthal, follows a CIA decoder who goes rogue to avenge his wife's murder.