Rami Malek says Freddie Mercury helped him play villain in next Bond film

American actor Rami Said Malek has revealed that Freddie Mercury has played a major role in his portrayal of Safin in the upcoming Bond film No Time to Die. Rami played Freddie Mercury in 2018 biographical drama Bohemian Rhapsody, which won him many accolades, including an Academy Award for best actor, a Golden Globe, a Screen Actor's Guild Award and a British Academy Film Award (BAFTA). 

Rami Malek as Safin

Rami is playing a villain, an adversary of Bond in the forthcoming James Bond film. Rami while talking to the media said that he tried to play the Safin in a way that would make sense for the character and also at the same time be shocking and unnerving for the audiences. Rami credited Mercury for this lesson as he always tries to do something different because if one tries to make a carbon copy of someone the fun material from the act vanishes. 

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Rami has developed a specific voice for the portrayal of Safin in the latest James Bond film. Rami developed the voice with assistance from the same vocal coach who helped him to embody Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. Rami described his role in No Time to Die as a "perfect follow-up" to Freddie Mercury. Rami said that he has grown up watching James Bond films and playing a role in it is a dream come true. 

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When asked if he had taken inspiration from any other Bond villains, the Bohemian Rhapsody star said that he deliberately didn't emulate previous Bond villains as it would not have been a fun thing to do. But Rami revealed his favorite Bond villain of all time as he feels Javier Bardem did a very good job in Skyfall. 

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No Time to Die is scheduled to release on April 2, 2020, in the United Kingdom and on April 8 in the United States. Apart from Daniel Craig and Rami Malek, the film also features Lea Seydoux, Lashana Lynch, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Ana de Armas, Jeffrey Wright, Christoph Waltz, and Ralph Fiennes. Daniel Craig will be playing James Bond for the last time in No Time to Die. 

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