“I can’t do this, there’s too many similarities [between the two]," the actor recalled thinking while comparing his new character in 'The Man I Love' and Freddie Mercury
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/rami-malek-bohemian-rhapsody-052126-1-84bc3675339e431aab4ac9219e324dc6.jpg "Rami Malek poses for a photocall ahead of the 2026 Kering Women in Motion Talk; Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury Bohemian Rhapsody - 2018")
Credit: Anna KURTH / AFP via Getty; 20th Century Fox/Moviestore/Shutterstock
NEED TO KNOW
- Rami Malek initially hesitated to play Jimmy George in The Man I Love due to similarities with his portrayal of Freddie Mercury
- Malek said director Ira Sachs helped him overcome his fears and embrace the role’s unique challenges
- The Man I Love premiered at Cannes and received a standing ovation for its portrayal of 1980s New York artistry
Rami Malek wasn't always on board to star in his new film The Man I Love.
The Oscar winner, 45, revealed in an interview with Deadline published on May 21 that he was initially hesitant to play fictional character Jimmy George — an artist who is battling AIDS — after portraying the late Freddie Mercury in the 2018 film Bohemian Rhapsody. Mercury died from complications of AIDS in 1991.
After reading the script, Malek told the outlet that he recalled thinking, “I can't do this, there's too many similarities [between the two].”
“It could be problematic,” he added, noting that “there was a certain sense of fear.”
Credit: Karwai Tang/WireImage
The Man I Love, which is directed by Ira Sachs, follows Jimmy, a well-known singer and performer, in 1980s New York, who comes out of a three-week stay in a hospital for HIV treatment and pushes his health to the limit to star in what might be his final stage production, according to a synopsis for the film.
The Mr. Robot star said he reflected on the two roles and tried to “address the fear” he had of stepping into the role of Jimmy.
Credit: A Bailey/20th Century Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock
“If there's anything I learned from Ira (Sachs) is that he makes unique cinema unlike any other, and I knew I was in extraordinary hands,” Malek explained. "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.”
“When I raced into [it], I started to discover that these were men who were similar, but they were also worlds apart,” he added.
He realized that Freddie was an “icon” and “legend” who “had a destination,” whereas Jimmy was someone who was “just searching for creativity, and love and intimacy and joy in every moment."
“Was [Jimmy] ever going to be perfect? He didn't have to be. It was just about this element of creating, and living and joy and New York in that period was a very different time,” Malek said.
Credit: Anna KURTH / AFP via Getty
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“I see them as two radically different figures altogether,” he added of Freddie and Jimmy.
The Man I Love, which also stars Tom Sturridge, Luther Ford, Rebecca Hall and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, made its debut at the Cannes Film Festival on May 20 and received a standing ovation.