Hindustan Times (Lucknow) - Hindustan Times (Lucknow) - Live
‘PROUD TO DO QUEEN BIOPIC’
Rami Malek on the shift in his character on the show Mr Robot and playing Queen singer Freddie Mercury
Elliot Alderson, the drugaddled, anxiety-riddled hactivist played by Rami Malek, spent the first two seasons of Mr Robot destroying the world. Now, as this techno-thriller enters its third round on Wednesday, October 11, Elliot is on a mission to save it. On a break from shooting Bohemian Rhapsody — the biopic of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury — in London, Malek, 36, discusses the character of Elliot, his own paranoia, and the preparation that has gone into playing the flamboyant Freddie. Excerpts:
You shoot the episodes in Mr Robot out of order. How do you manage it?
Fortunately, we have everything written beforehand, unlike other shows, and it’s the only way I can accept shooting under those circumstances. When Sam (Esmail, the show’s creator) and I first sat down, he explained the story to me from the beginning to the end.
How are your own tech skills these days?
I’m getting better with the social engineering. Someone took a selfie with me today, and to see them plug in their passcode right in front of you is borderline creepy, but my show just makes me so much more aware of how to conduct oneself in public. The amount of information that we arbitrarily extend to the world is mind-boggling to me.
The show has seemed eerily prescient in terms of hacking and our own political terrain.
Our show takes place in the past, but it couldn’t be more relevant when you look at everything that’s occurring in our political climate right now. And here’s Elliot, now taking a leap of courage and saying, “I want to be a part of this world and change it for the better.”
As an actor, you've taken your own leap of courage by playing Freddie Mercury. How did that happen?
My producers were fans of Mr Robot. I sent in a video, and little did I know that Brian May (Queen’s lead guitarist) would be watching it a few days later. When I realised this was happening, I had a version of Mr Mercury’s teeth made by the makeup designer. It has been a feat that I think I’ll be very proud of, as exhausting as it is.
What's the key to capturing that Mercury charisma?
One word: mischief.