Rami Malek feared jail time after Los Angeles Police Department officers berated him for “looking Latino.”
The Bohemian Rhapsody actor, who is of Egyptian origin, spoke about the ugly incident in an interview with The Guardian.
“I got thrown on the hood of an LAPD cruiser because someone robbed a liquor store and stole a woman’s purse,” the Oscar winner said.
The 43-year-old added: “They said (the thief) was of Latino origin, and ‘You fit the description.’ “I remember how hot the engine was, they must have been racing in there and it almost burned my hand.”
The star of Mr. Robot, saying, “My friend, who was Caucasian, was smart enough to say, ‘Actually, sir, he’s Egyptian, not Latino.’ I remember laughing in the cop car, and thinking, ‘Okay, this is a very risky situation, maybe I’ll go. “Going to prison for something I didn’t do.”
Malek did not reveal when the accident occurred, but hinted that he may have previously risen to stardom by playing Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, where he says he no longer faces similar problems at airports due to his Middle Eastern heritage. .
“I started thinking: What’s going on?” He said, recalling his immigration problems every time he tried to enter a country. “These days, there might be a moment. Then they’ll say, ‘No, that’s the guy from Bohemian Rhapsody.’ “Let him pass.”