Rami Malek recalls being «thrown» onto the hood of a police car during an incident of racial profiling, adding, «I remember how hot that engine was.»
Rami Malek reflects on an unsettling experience where he was racially profiled by police.
In an interview with *The Guardian*, the 43-year-old actor recalls being «thrown» onto the hood of a police car in Los Angeles after officers mistook him for a suspect involved in a theft.
They had received a description of a Latin man who had stolen liquor and a woman’s bag, and Malek «fit the description.»
He describes the moment: «I remember how hot that engine was — they must have been racing over there, and it was almost burning my hands.»
He continued, «I remember laughing on the cop car, thinking, ‘Okay, this is a very precarious situation. I may well be going to jail for something I’ve not done.'»
Malek’s friend, a Caucasian man, intervened, clarifying that Malek is of Egyptian descent, not Latin.
In his interview, Malek also shared his experiences as a Middle Eastern man traveling, noting how his full name, Rami Said Malek, has often raised red flags with airport security.
Despite this, his fame has sometimes helped him avoid complications. “I started to think, ‘What is happening?’ Every time I tried to enter a country. These days, there might be a moment. Then they’ll go, ‘Nah, that’s the guy from *Bohemian Rhapsody*. Let him through.’”
Reflecting on his upbringing, Malek spoke about the challenges of reconciling his Egyptian roots with his life in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles.
He didn’t speak English until he was around 5 or 6, and while his father embraced certain aspects of American culture, Malek felt torn between not fully accepting or rejecting any side.
He admitted, “I’m what’s called ‘white passing’, but I have very distinctive features, and we definitely didn’t fit in.”
Malek and his twin brother Sami learned to be hyper-aware of their surroundings and roles in various social settings, a skill he can’t easily «turn off.»
Malek shared that a fellow actor recently commented to his partner, Emma Corrin, that Malek has an acute ability to gauge a room’s vibe: “‘From the second Rami walks in the room, he is assessing every single situation, how it will affect him, or others, the domino effect of it all.’”
Malek admitted that this heightened awareness can be both a blessing and a curse. “Sometimes I find it detrimental,” he said.
