Did Rami Malek sing as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody?

In the realm of music biographies, there is simply nothing greater than Bohemian Rhapsody. Honestly, it’s not even close. The film about the history of the band Queen focused primarily on the late lead singer Freddie Mercury. is one of the greatest films of all time that isn’t part of a major franchise. With worldwide box office receipts of $910 million, the film became a real sensation and won several Oscars. Chief among them was Rami Malek, who won Best Actor for his work as Mercury.

To say that Mr. Mercury is a legend would be an understatement. Embodying such a distinct personality is no easy task. While the film itself, that is is credited to director Bryan Singer, although he was fired from the production late in the gameWhile many critics and viewers have largely mixed feelings, the general consensus is that Malek actually had a standout role as Mercury. But the big question is: Did Malek actually sing these legendary Queen songs? Was it his voice as Mercury in the film?

“It’s a coalition of a few voices,” Malek said in an interview with Metro (via NME) in October 2018. “But most of all, it’s my hope and everyone’s hope that we listen to as much Freddie as possible. I think that’s the goal for all of us.”

To be clear: No, Freddie Mercury’s real singing in “Bohemian Rhapsody” does not come from Rami Malek. That means, when a first look at the film was released in September 2017The actor explained that he was actually working on his singing voice as part of his preparation.

“We will use Freddie as often as possible and myself as often as possible. I’m at Abbey Road (Studios) right now if that means anything to you. I’m not working on my acting.”

So who sang if not Malek? Marc Martel, a musician who actually sang in a Queen cover band, is the voice behind Freddie Mercury in the film. Oddly enough, Martel started making Christian music and posting videos on YouTube. One of his bandmates once remarked that his style was very similar to Mercury. Then everything fell into place.

The film’s producers finally went looking for him. Martel is the key part of this fusion, as Malek called it, providing the singing voice of the late icon. Recordings of Martel singing the songs were mixed with the original Queen recordings to create what the audience hears in the film. “I never thought it would be more than a fun karaoke trick,” Martel said in a 2019 interview with the New York Times. The singer went on to explain some of the differences between his singing style and Mercury’s.

“I’m not British so I don’t usually sing with an accent. I don’t have any extra teeth like he does, so my Ss show up normally – his were very piercing. But even if I don’t try.” “Sing like Freddie Mercury, people still hear him in my voice no matter what I do, I have this weird, unique quality where I can sound like him, so why should I Don’t do that?”

Martel was officially credited as “additional vocals” in the final film. Understandably, in the run-up to the film’s release and as Oscar buzz grew, the producers and Fox, the studio that backed the film, didn’t want to upset Malek, who was the front-runner for the Best Actor award.

Rami Malek won Best Actor for his role as Freddie Mercury in “Bohemian Rhapsody.” He prevailed against strong competitors such as Bradley Cooper (“A Star Is Born”), Christian Bale (“Vice”), Willem Dafoe (“At Eternity’s Gate”) and Viggo Mortenson (“Green Book”). However, the film didn’t win the Best Picture award, with “Green Book” winning the night’s top prize.

But the real prize was the box office gross of $910 million. To make matters even better, the “Bohemian Rhapsody” soundtrack became a bestseller in its own right and one of the best-selling albums of 2019. To date, it is reported to have sold more than 2.7 million copies BestBellingAlbums.org. However, despite the success the soundtrack had because it was directly linked to a huge hit film, Malek didn’t have much to do with it.

As in the film, Malek cannot be heard singing in the soundtrack of “Bohemian Rhapsody”. Rolling Stone The soundtrack’s review even began with the words, “Don’t worry, you don’t need to hear Rami Malek sing.” Instead, the film serves as an interesting collection of Queen songs. Some old favorites, some new mixes and even Queen’s take on the 20th Century Fox jingle.

Most importantly, the soundtrack featured unreleased versions of songs from Queen’s legendary Live Aid performance, which is an important part of the film. The album contains versions of songs such as “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Radio Gaga”, “Hammer to Fall” and “We Are the Champions” from the 1985 Wembley Stadium performance. What is not visible is Malek, apart from his likeness as Mercury on the cover.

As is often the case in Hollywood, “Bohemian Rhapsody” was in development for years before it was actually made. Therefore, several actors were considered for the leading role before Rami Malek came along. Malek first signed on to the project in 2015, replacing Ben Whishaw (“Skyfall,” “Paddington”).. Whishaw certainly looked the part, but dropped out after Dexter Fletcher left the director’s chair. Interestingly, Fletcher took over the completion of the film after Singer was fired.

But Whisfhaw wasn’t the only one who almost played Freddie Mercury. As is known, Sacha Baron Cohen, of “Borat” fame, was once attached to the project before leaving due to creative differences in the development process. For what it’s worth, in a 2021 interview, Queen drummer Roger Taylor expressed his belief that Cohen would not have been right for the role.

“I think he would have been absolutely shit. Sacha is pushy, if nothing else… He’s also 15cm too tall. But I watched his last five films and came to the conclusion that he is not a very good actor. I could be wrong. I thought he was an absolutely brilliant subversive comedian, he’s great at that.”

The other big name to be linked to the role at some point was Oscar Isaac (“Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “Moon Knight”). In an interview in 2021 Isaac spoke about passing on the role of Freddie Mercury in the film. His reasoning seemed to make sense, but as the actor admits, he was completely wrong about the whole thing.

“At the time I thought, ‘I don’t think anyone wants to see someone pretending to be Freddie Mercury.’ And then everyone really wanted to see someone do Freddie Mercury. I think he was just great. “

As anyone could expect, the success of “Bohemian Rhapsody” opened many doors for Malek. The actor had certainly made a name for himself before this film’s release, appearing in films like “The Master” and “Short Term 12,” but the Oscar win that came with such a big box office hit brought him down the top of Hollywood’s A-list.

The first task for Malek was to complete his hit show “Mr. Robot”, the fourth and final season ends in December 2019. However, the fact that the show was on the books gave Malek the freedom to capitalize on his new superstar status, and his first order of business after winning the Oscar was to join one of the biggest franchises in cinema history. Namely “James Bond”.

Malek played the villain Safin opposite Daniel Craig’s 007 in No Time to Die. Due to the pandemic, the film didn’t hit theaters until late 2021, but it was a huge success and Malek helped send off Craig’s version of the character in style. Among fans, many felt that Safin was a bit of a disappointing villain since Malek didn’t get much screen time. Whatever the case, it was still a great opportunity.

The actor has also starred in several misfires in recent years, including Robert Downer Jr.’s unfortunate flop “Dolittle” and “Amsterdam” from director David O. Russell in 2022. However, relatively speaking, Malek was only a supporting actor in these films. By and large, the actor is associated with success. This also goes beyond the screen: Malek plays a leading role in the scripted podcast series “Blackout”.

Malek’s biggest success after Bohemian Rhapsody is, strangely enough, a film in which he only played a very small role. Malke played the small but crucial role of David Hill Director Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster “Oppenheimer,” winner of Best Picture. Interestingly, Nolan’s biopic of J. Robert Oppenheimer ($975 million worldwide) overtook “Bohemian Rhapsody” to become the highest-grossing biopic in history. Malek left his mark on both, albeit in very different capacities.

Next up for Malek is an action thriller called The Amateur, in which Malk plays the lead role of a CIA cryptographer who manages to blackmail the agency into letting him go after a group of terrorists who are his wife have killed. The theatrical release is currently scheduled for April 11, 2025.