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With director Bryan Singer’s Bohemian Rhapsody set to open in theaters November 2nd, I recently got to attend an early press day for the film where 20th Century Fox unveiled around thirty-five minutes of footage to a number of reporters. While it’s too early to judge the finished film based on seeing a quarter of the movie, I’ll say that while all the performances were extremely good, I have to single out one person: Rami Malek. Based on what I saw, Malek has truly transformed himself into Freddie Mercury, and I was absolutely mesmerized by what I saw on screen. For fans of his work on Mr. Robot, this is such a completely different performance that it’s hard to believe it’s the same person. I cannot wait to see the finished film.

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Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Shortly after seeing the footage, I got to sit down with Malek, Gwilym Lee (Brian May), Joseph Mazzello (John Deacon) and Lucy Boynton (Mary Austin). Since I only had a few minutes with the four of them, I decided to ask questions to the group at large, including what was their favorite Queen song, did it change due to making the movie, and how did they each prepare to play their roles.

Check out what they had to say in the player above and look for more Bohemian Rhapsody interviews in a few weeks. You can also see the recent trailer here.

Scripted by Anthony McCarten (Darkest Hour) and produced by Graham King, Bohemian Rhapsody follows the band Queen from their early days playing pubs to becoming one of the biggest rock bands on the planet. The film also stars Aidan Gillen, Tom Hollander, Ben Hardy, Allen Leech, and Aaron McCusker.

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Image via 20th Century Fox

Here is the official synopsis for Bohemian Rhapsody:

Bohemian Rhapsody is a foot-stomping celebration of Queen, their music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury. Freddie defied stereotypes and shattered convention to become one of the most beloved entertainers on the planet. The film traces the meteoric rise of the band through their iconic songs and revolutionary sound. They reach unparalleled success, but in an unexpected turn Freddie, surrounded by darker influences, shuns Queen in pursuit of his solo career. Having suffered greatly without the collaboration of Queen, Freddie manages to reunite with his bandmates just in time for Live Aid. While bravely facing a recent AIDS diagnosis, Freddie leads the band in one of the greatest performances in the history of rock music. Queen cements a legacy that continues to inspire outsiders, dreamers and music lovers to this day.

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Image via 20th Century Fox

 

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Image via 20th Century Fox

 

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