Bohemian Rhapsody actor Rami Malek opens up on working with Bryan Singer: 'My situation was not pleasant'

'In the light of the #MeToo era that this somehow seems to exist after that, it’s a horrible thing'

Rami Malek has spoken about working on Queen bipoic Bohemian Rhapsody with director Bryan Singer, who has been accused of multiple counts of sexual abuse.

Questioned on an exposé published by The Atlantic, which saw four men accuse Singer of sexually molesting them while they were underage, Malek called it “a horrible thing”.

“My heart goes out to anyone who has to live through anything like what I’ve heard and what is out there,” Malek told an audience in Santa Barbara, California, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“It’s awful, it’s remarkable that this happens, I can appreciate so much what they’ve been through and how difficult this must be for them. In the light of the #MeToo era that this somehow seems to exist after that, it’s a horrible thing.”

The 37-year-old actor said that discussing working with Singer was difficult as he did not want the focus of the film to move away from Freddie Mercury, who he plays in the film, and Queen. However, he does not ”want anyone to not feel like they can share their story.”

“I’ve sat here and talked about how everyone deserves a voice and anyone who wants to talk about what happened with Bryan deserves to have their voice heard,” Malek continued. “In my situation with Bryan, it was not pleasant, not at all. And that’s about what I can say about it at this point.”

The visibly emotional Malek added, “For anyone who is seeking any solace in all of this, Bryan Singer was fired. Bryan Singer was fired, I don’t think that was something anyone saw coming but I think that had to happen and it did.”

Singer, who has previously been accused of having sexual relations with minors, has denied all allegations. Malek previously reasoned he worked with Singer before he knew about the allegations against him.

The director was removed from Bohemian Rhapsody midway through filming, with 20th Century Fox announcing they had “temporarily halted production on Bohemian Rhapsody due to the unexpected unavailability of Bryan Singer”.

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Reports emerged soon after that the cast had mutinied over the director’s behaviour on set, with Singer allegedly arriving late on a regular basis. He argued that the studio had refused to allow him to return to the US to care for an ill parent and denied falling out with Malek.

Dexter Fletcher took over directing duties after but, due to the Directors Guild of America rules, Singer is still the credited director.

Bohemian Rhapsody won the Golden Globe for Best Picture Drama and has since been nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. Malek has also been nominated for Best Leading Actor.