{"id":412,"date":"2026-05-21T13:07:46","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T13:07:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=412"},"modified":"2026-05-21T13:07:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T13:07:46","slug":"rami-malek-hesitated-to-star-in-ira-sachs-gay-drama-the-man-i-love-after-playing-freddie-mercury-i-had-to-address-the-fear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=412","title":{"rendered":"Rami Malek Hesitated to Star in Ira Sachs\u2019 Gay Drama \u2018The Man I Love\u2019 After Playing Freddie Mercury: \u2018I Had to Address the Fear\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n

\n\tOscar winner Rami Malek had been itching to work with Ira Sachs for some time \u2014 going as far as to ask his representatives to get him a meeting with the filmmaker. But when the script for Sachs\u2019 next film, \u201cThe Man I Love\u201d \u2014 about a New York theater performer navigating life, love and his devotion to his art after being diagnosed with AIDS \u2014\u00a0came his way, Malek hesitated before agreeing to sign on.<\/p>\n

Read more Netflix Snaps Up \u2018Bad Bridgets,\u2019 Irish Period Thriller Starring Emilia Jones and Alison Oliver From \u2018Kneecap\u2019 Director (EXCLUSIVE)<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWhen I read the script, I said, \u2018I can\u2019t do this. There\u2019s too many similarities. It could be problematic,’\u201d Malek told reporters on Thursday at a press conference following the film\u2019s world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThere was a certain sense of fear,\u201d Malek explained. \u201cAnd I started to really think about what I was afraid of. Was it the similarities? Was it the singing? Was it what was going on in the period? \u2026 I knew I had to address the fear. If there\u2019s anything Freddie taught me was [to] address the fear.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAs Malek contemplated what to do, he kept in mind that Sachs \u201cmakes unique cinema unlike any other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI knew I was in extraordinary hands, and that if he was choosing me, I could rely on him,\u201d he said of the \u201cPassages\u201d and \u201cKeep the Lights On\u201d director. \u201cNot only to depend on him throughout the film, but to elevate it, to push myself, to force myself to race into that fire. And when I raced into it, I started to discover that these men were similar, but they were also worlds apart.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIndeed, playing Jimmy in \u201cThe Man I Love\u201d would require him to sing on camera again. But those intimate performances weren\u2019t like playing the Queen frontman playing to crowds of thousands in \u201cBohemian Rhapsody.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe have a legend in Freddie, who really had a destination, whereas Jimmy is just searching for creativity and love and intimacy and joy and pleasure in every moment,\u201d Malek explained. \u201cHe can sing. Does he sing as well as Freddie? No. If he needs to learn kabuki, he\u2019s going to throw himself into it, and [throw himself] into Onnagata, and I did. Was it ever going to be perfect? Didn\u2019t 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.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\tWhile audiences can draw similarities between the two queer men, Malek added, \u201cI see them as two radically different figures altogether \u2014 especially as I have some more distance from it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSachs \u2014 who appeared on the press conference dais alongside Malek, his co-stars Tom Sturridge and Luther Ford, and the film\u2019s artisans \u2014 offered his take on the comparison. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI love how you describe Jimmy specifically as someone who does have ambition, but it\u2019s almost internal ambition,\u201d Sachs said, turning to Malek. \u201cAs opposed to someone like Freddie, who\u2019s looking for external.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Netflix Will Soon Start Livestreaming Charlamagne Tha God\u2019s \u2018Breakfast Club\u2019 Worldwide, Marking Its First Live Daily Show<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tAs a character, Jimmy represents a period in 1980s New York and the artists who inhabited it, where \u201cthere was a courage to do things because they wanted to impress the person who lived next door.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThere was not this fantasy of globalization. It was a very local time,\u201d Sachs said. \u201cBeing as ambitious as someone like Jimmy is, but with the idea of proving things for yourself and for the artist who lives in the hall next door to you, who lives just around the corner. This is something which, in a way, gives me a kind of courage, because you need to aim small in a certain way, and you need to aim into yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMalek chimed in: \u201cThere are a lot of people who aspire to be someone like Freddie Mercury, there are a lot of artists in the world who don\u2019t get to that level, but still have an immense abundance of talent and skill, and a world to offer that just maybe is unseen by the masses, but communally gets some recognition. Or they recognize it in themselves. And perhaps that can be almost as gratifying. And I think that was for Jimmy, in a sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe gratification of landing the cover of the Village Voice \u2014 as Sachs and Malek believe would be Jimmy\u2019s ultimate goal \u2014 is certainly wonderful, but receiving an 8-minute standing ovation in the Palais des Festivals \u2014 which \u201cThe Man I Love\u201d did after its debut in competition on Wednesday night \u2014 just might top that. Malek shed a tear during the massive applause for the deeply emotional film, which has been described as a \u201cmusical fantasia of a city under duress.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\tDuring the press conference, Sachs \u2014 who co-wrote the script with frequent collaborator Mauricio Zacharias \u2014\u00a0also explained why Malek was his top choice for the role.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWith a film like this, you needed someone in the middle who had a certain kind of mystery, a certain kind of potential for the unexpected, but also truly a star quality,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause there is a whole universe which revolves around Jimmy and Rami in the film. A star is someone who emits light and also asks to be seen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tMalek and Sachs further discussed \u201cThe Man I Love\u201d during a special Kering Women in Motion conversation earlier this week. During the talk, Malek credited Sachs for bringing out \u201ca performance in me that I don\u2019t think I would give in another situation,\u201d adding: \u201cIra is an actor\u2019s director, among all the other things he can do. We believed in each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe also reflected on his historic Oscar win for \u201cBohemian Rhapsody\u201d and how becoming the first Egyptian actor to take home the prize inspired future generations. <\/p>\n

Read more Prashanth Neel Says NTR\u2019s \u2018Dragon\u2019 Is His \u2018Biggest Attempt at a Patriotic Movie,\u2019 Confirms \u2018Salaar\u2019 Sequel to Follow<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At Cannes, Oscar winner Rami Malek explained why he hesitated to star in Ira Sachs’ gay drama ‘The Man I Love’ after portraying Freddie Mercury.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":411,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3,399,400,401],"class_list":["post-412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film","tag-cannes-film-festival","tag-ira-sachs","tag-rami-malek","tag-the-man-i-love"],"yoast_head":"\nRami Malek Hesitated to Star in Ira Sachs\u2019 Gay Drama \u2018The Man I Love\u2019 After Playing Freddie Mercury: \u2018I Had to Address the Fear\u2019 - Relocation Observer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=412\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rami Malek Hesitated to Star in Ira Sachs\u2019 Gay Drama \u2018The Man I Love\u2019 After Playing Freddie Mercury: \u2018I Had to Address the Fear\u2019 - Relocation Observer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"At Cannes, Oscar winner Rami Malek explained why he hesitated to star in Ira Sachs' gay drama 'The Man I Love' after portraying Freddie Mercury.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=412\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Relocation Observer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-21T13:07:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=412#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=412\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e\"},\"headline\":\"Rami Malek Hesitated to Star in Ira Sachs\u2019 Gay Drama \u2018The Man I Love\u2019 After Playing Freddie Mercury: \u2018I Had to Address the Fear\u2019\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-21T13:07:46+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=412\"},\"wordCount\":1035,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=412#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/4a69fb1c12eb8b793e10d6f6d51a8bdc.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Cannes Film Festival,\",\"Ira Sachs,\",\"Rami Malek,\",\"The Man I Love\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Film\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=412#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=412\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=412\",\"name\":\"Rami Malek Hesitated to Star in Ira Sachs\u2019 Gay Drama \u2018The Man I Love\u2019 After Playing Freddie Mercury: \u2018I Had to Address the Fear\u2019 - Relocation Observer\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=412#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=412#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/4a69fb1c12eb8b793e10d6f6d51a8bdc.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-21T13:07:46+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=412#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=412\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=412#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/4a69fb1c12eb8b793e10d6f6d51a8bdc.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/4a69fb1c12eb8b793e10d6f6d51a8bdc.webp\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":563},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=412#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Rami Malek Hesitated to Star in Ira Sachs\u2019 Gay Drama \u2018The Man I Love\u2019 After Playing Freddie Mercury: \u2018I Had to Address the Fear\u2019\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Relocation Observer\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Rami Malek Hesitated to Star in Ira Sachs\u2019 Gay Drama \u2018The Man I Love\u2019 After Playing Freddie Mercury: \u2018I Had to Address the Fear\u2019 - Relocation Observer","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=412","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Rami Malek Hesitated to Star in Ira Sachs\u2019 Gay Drama \u2018The Man I Love\u2019 After Playing Freddie Mercury: \u2018I Had to Address the Fear\u2019 - Relocation Observer","og_description":"At Cannes, Oscar winner Rami Malek explained why he hesitated to star in Ira Sachs' gay drama 'The Man I Love' after portraying Freddie Mercury.","og_url":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=412","og_site_name":"Relocation Observer","article_published_time":"2026-05-21T13:07:46+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=412#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=412"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e"},"headline":"Rami Malek Hesitated to Star in Ira Sachs\u2019 Gay Drama \u2018The Man I Love\u2019 After Playing Freddie Mercury: \u2018I Had to Address the Fear\u2019","datePublished":"2026-05-21T13:07:46+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=412"},"wordCount":1035,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=412#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/4a69fb1c12eb8b793e10d6f6d51a8bdc.webp","keywords":["Cannes Film Festival,","Ira Sachs,","Rami Malek,","The Man I Love"],"articleSection":["Film"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=412#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=412","url":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=412","name":"Rami Malek Hesitated to Star in Ira Sachs\u2019 Gay Drama \u2018The Man I Love\u2019 After Playing Freddie Mercury: \u2018I Had to Address the Fear\u2019 - Relocation Observer","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=412#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=412#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/4a69fb1c12eb8b793e10d6f6d51a8bdc.webp","datePublished":"2026-05-21T13:07:46+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=412#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=412"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=412#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/4a69fb1c12eb8b793e10d6f6d51a8bdc.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/4a69fb1c12eb8b793e10d6f6d51a8bdc.webp","width":1000,"height":563},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=412#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Rami Malek Hesitated to Star in Ira Sachs\u2019 Gay Drama \u2018The Man I Love\u2019 After Playing Freddie Mercury: \u2018I Had to Address the Fear\u2019"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/","name":"Relocation Observer","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/relocationobserver.com"],"url":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=412"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/411"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}