Bohemian Rhapsody star Rami Malek has revealed how the experience of playing Freddie Mercury influenced his upcoming turn in No Time To Die. 

The Oscar-winning star will portray the villainous Safin in the upcoming Bond movie, which marks Daniel Craig’s final turn as the iconic spy.

When asked about the challenges of the role, Malek explained that he first learnt how to avoid being a “carbon copy” when preparing to play Mercury.

“If I went in there and tried to make a carbon copy of someone, what joy or fun would that be for anybody? I guess that may be a lesson I learned from Mr. Mercury,” he told Empire Magazine.

“If it’s not original, then why bother? I’ve pocketed some things from some of my favorites. But I tried to every day imbue this character with something I thought made sense for the character, but might also at the same time be shocking and unnerving.”

Malek also revealed how he joined forces with his Bohemian Rhapsody voice coach once more to craft the perfect accent for his Bond villain.

“I wanted to create something that we couldn’t quite peg from any particular part of the world,” he said.

Meanwhile, the first trailer for No Time To Die arrived earlier this month and provided the first glimpse of Malek in his villainous role.

It will hit cinemas on April 2, 2020, directed by Cory Joji Fukunaga. Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge has also been working on the film’s script,  after she was brought in to modernise the iconic spy.

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