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Rami Malek recalled an unsettling moment when he was mistaken for a thief involved in stealing a woman’s purse.
Rami Malek was also accused of looting a liquor store. (Photo Credits: Instagram)
Rami Malek recently opened up about a troubling experience with the Los Angeles Police Department, where he was reportedly racially profiled and mistaken for a thief involved in a robbery. Malek recounted being “thrown on the bonnet of an LAPD cop car” after being falsely accused of looting a liquor store and stealing a woman’s purse. The police were searching for a suspect of Latin descent and claimed Malek “fit the description.” He vividly remembers how hot the car engine felt during the ordeal. Thankfully, his friend intervened and clarified that Malek is Egyptian, not Latin.
Speaking with The Guardian, the Bohemian Rhapsody star said, “I got thrown on the bonnet of an LAPD cop car because someone had robbed a liquor store and stolen a woman’s bag. They said the [thief] was of Latin descent and, ‘You fit the description.’ I remember how hot that engine was, they must have been racing over there and it was almost burning my hands. My friend, who was Caucasian, was clever enough to go, ‘Actually, sir, he’s Egyptian. Not Latin.’ I remember laughing on the cop car, thinking, ‘OK, this is a very precarious situation. I may well be going to jail for something I’ve not done’.”
Rami Malek has reportedly encountered racism multiple times throughout his life. For years, his name would frequently trigger security alerts when travelling internationally, leaving him feeling confused and frustrated by the constant incidents. However, things seem to have improved for the actor, as he shared that security officials now recognise him from his role in Bohemian Rhapsody and allow him to pass without any issues.
Rami Malek’s parents, Said and Nelly, were Coptic Orthodox Christians who moved to the US in 1978, with his older sister, Yasmine, who is now a doctor. At home, they spoke Arabic and Malek didn’t speak English until he was about five or six years old. Malek’s father followed some parts of American culture, but he was careful not to accept everything. He wanted to make sure they stayed connected to their Egyptian roots. Malek describes himself as “white-passing,” meaning he could blend in with white people, but his features still made him stand out.
The actor is gearing up for the release of The Amateur, where he plays a CIA decoder who turns against his own agency to take revenge for his wife’s murder. The movie also stars Laurence Fishburne, Rachel Brosnahan and Jon Bernthal.
