Bohemian Rhapsody: What Brian May REALLY thinks of Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury

The actor plays Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in the film, which has collected over $404 million globally since its release last month – meaning it should overtake the likes of La La Land and The Greatest Showman before its run in cinemas ends. But what does the late Mercury’s bandmate Brian May think of Malek’s performance?

In a new interview, the musician has said he rates Malek so much, he thinks he deserves an Oscars nod.

“He’s incredible… without doubt he’ll be on the nominations list for an Oscar and well deserved as well,” he told Press Association.

“He inhabited Freddie to the point where we even started to think of him as Freddie. Really remarkable.”

May was incredibly complementary about the film, too, after he was involved in its production.

“We’ve lived with this project for nine years and it’s incredible to see it doing so well,” he beamed.

“It came out to s***ty reviews, as some of our work has before, but the public has embraced it magnificently.

“Everybody gave 200%, from the actors and technicians to the production team and hair and make up, everyone.

“You don’t get any lukewarm responses. The guy who plays me should be getting awards all over.”

Indeed it’s Gwilym Lee who plays May on the big screen, with other stars including Lucy Boynton, Tom Hollander, Mike Myers, Ben Hardy and Aidan Gillen.

Queen’s music has also seen a sales increase since the movie’s release, with bookies even lumping them in the race for Christmas Number One.

Malek’s next film in UK cinemas will be Papillon, an exclusive clip of which you can watch right here.

Bohemian Rhapsody is out now.