KUALA LUMPUR: When Rami Malek was asked to play the villain in the latest 007 movie he had to think twice before accepting the role.
The Daily Mirror reported on Wednesday that most actors would have jumped at the chance to play a Bond baddie and instantly signed on the dotted line.
But, fresh from his Oscar-winning performance as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, Rami wanted a cast-iron guarantee from the filmmakers first.
The 38-year-old simply wanted an assurance from director Cary Fukunaga that the villain he would play would not be a religious fundamentalist or an Arabic-speaking terrorist.
The reason, Rami’s pride in his Egyptian heritage and culture was in his words, “the fabric of who I am”.
“It’s a great character and I’m very excited,” explained Rami.
“But that was one thing that I discussed with Cary.
“I said, ‘We cannot identify him with any act of terrorism reflecting an ideology or a religion.
“That’s not something I would entertain, so if I am your choice then you can count me out’,” said Rami.
“But that was clearly not Cary's vision. He’s got a very different kind of terrorist.
“It’s an extremely clever script from the people who have figured out exactly what viewers want.
“And I feel a substantial weight on my shoulders as Bond is something that we all grow up with.”
Rami grew up with a deep sense of his own Egyptian roots.
The actor was born in Los Angeles in 1981 to immigrants who had left Cairo three years earlier after his father, a tour guide, became intrigued with Western visitors.
His father sold insurance and his mother was an accountant and they raised Rami in the Coptic Orthodox Christian faith.
They mainly spoke Egyptian Arabic at home.
The new Bond film, dubbed Bond 25, features Daniel Craig in his fifth performance as iconic MI6 agent James Bond. It will be released in April next year.