Bohemian Rhapsody: Brian May SLAMS original Freddie 'Sacha Baron Cohen was an 'AR**'

The film could almost have been very different. It has become a huge box office hit, passing half a billion dollars at the global box office and predicted to garner Malek awards season glory. Critics, though, have accused the movie of avoiding the difficult sides of Freddie’s life, something which fed into Cohen’s acrimonious exit from the movie, amid allegations he had wanted to make a much more “gritty film” but was blocked by the band. Brian May just revealed Cohen’s involvement was a “near disaster” and the star became an “ar*e” during and after his involvement with the project.

May told Classic Rock website Louder Sounds: “Sacha became an ar*e. We had some nice times with Sacha kicking around ideas but he went off and told untruths about what happened.

“Why would he go away and say that we didn’t want to make a gritty film? Are we the kind of people who have ever ducked from the truth? I don’t think so.

“We decided he wasn’t right for the role for very good reasons, which will become apparent if you watch what he’s done recently. It’s obvious that it wasn’t going to work, him playing Freddie. It wouldn’t suspend your disbelief.”

The Queen guitarist and songwriter added: “That was a near-disaster. I think we realised just in time what a disaster that was going to be. And it actually wasn’t rocket science to figure that out. But yeah, that’s one of the rocks that we nearly hit.”

Ben Whishaw, currently starring in Mary Poppins Returns, was linked to the project for a while but the role eventually went to Malek, and May couldn’t be happier. 

He said: “At some points we thought it (casting Freddie) was impossible. But along came Rami, and we had a great feeling immediately.”

Both May and fellow bandmate Roger Taylor have admitted that even they forgot at times they were watching actors on the screen and not their actual younger selves.

Taylor said: “They got very close to us, visually and as actors which made it particularly uncanny for us to watch. After a couple of viewings, I mean you just start to completely believe, ‘Oh that was us.’ No, no it’s not. It’s other people, but phenomenal.”

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY IS OUT NOW.