Rami Malek was hesitant about role in latest Bond film
LONDON : Oscar winner Rami Malek thought twice before signing up to play the lead villain in the latest long-awaited James Bond film opposite Daniel Craig.
The US actor, who won the Oscar for his performance as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, said he feared his Egyptian ancestry could lhave ead to the part being a caricature of a Middle Eastern terrorist.
The 38-year-old actor said he discussed his character with director Cary Fukunaga, telling him that "we cannot identify him with any act of terrorism reflecting an ideology or a religion".
"But that was clearly not Cary's vision. So he's a very different kind of terrorist."
Malek, who was born in Los Angeles in 1981 to parents who immigrated to the US from Egypt, has said he identifies strongly with his Egyptian heritage.
The as-yet untitled 25th Bond film has been besieged by problems, most recently with Craig undergoing minor ankle surgery after an injury on set.
The production was repeatedly delayed over script disputes and after Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle quit the project. The film is now due to open in cinemas in the US, Britain and France on April 8, 2020.
Malek revealed that he has already filmed some scenes in Norway and praised the latest instalment in the spy series.
"It's another extremely clever script from the people who have figured out exactly what people want in those movies," he said.
"But I feel a substantial weight on my shoulders. I mean, Bond is something that we all grow up with." - AFP
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