Rami Malek Says He Feared Playing Another Queer Role in The Man I Love

Rami Malek says he initially refused to star in Ira Sachs’ new film The Man I Love because the role reminded him too much of Freddie Mercury, whom he played in Bohemian Rhapsody.

Speaking at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, Malek said he worried about taking on another queer character connected to AIDS. In the film, he plays Jimmy, a New York theater performer living with AIDS in the 1980s.

“I said, ‘I can’t do this,’” Malek told reporters, explaining that he feared the similarities between Jimmy and Mercury. But he later decided to confront those concerns, saying Mercury taught him to “address the fear.”

Malek said director Ira Sachs convinced him to join the project because of his distinctive filmmaking style. The Man I Love received a strong reception at Cannes, including an eight-minute standing ovation after its premiere.

Although both characters sing and live during the AIDS crisis, Malek said they are very different people. He described Freddie Mercury as a global icon with a clear destiny, while Jimmy is “searching for creativity and love and intimacy and joy.”

The film marks another dramatic role for Malek following his Oscar-winning performance as Mercury in the 2018 Queen biopic.