Rami Malek Claims He Was Once Racially Profiled by LA Police

Rami Malek claimed that he was once suspected of an alleged crime because authorities allegedly believed he “fit the description.”

“I got thrown on the bonnet of an [Los Angeles Police Department] cop car because someone had robbed a liquor store and stolen a woman’s bag,” the Oscar winner, 43, alleged in a Guardian profile published on Saturday, January 18. “They said the [thief] was of Latin descent and, ‘You fit the description.’”

He added, “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.’”

Malek is Egyptian-American, whose parents immigrated from Cairo before he was born. In the Guardian profile, Malek did not offer further details about the alleged police incident or when it seemingly occurred. The LAPD has not spoken out about the reported encounter. Us Weekly has reached out for comment.

Malek, meanwhile, has allegedly faced similar incidents of mistaken identity due to his background.

“It’s difficult enough traveling. Don’t make it harder,” he told the British outlet. “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.’”

Malek, who won an Oscar for his role in Bohemian Rhapsody as Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, grew up in L.A. with his parents and twin brother Sami. Their Middle Eastern heritage was always apparent to the siblings.

“I don’t know how you ever get over that. I’m what’s called ‘white-passing,’ but I have very distinctive features, and we definitely didn’t fit in,” Malek recalled to The Guardian. “We just had an uncanny way of sensing people. … I don’t know if it’s a blessing or a curse. Sometimes I find it detrimental. You can’t help it.”

Malek is also aware of how hard his parents worked to provide for the twins.

“The school system in Los Angeles was not great. She would handwrite these long letters in blue fountain pen explaining our situation. She’d say, ‘I’m going to give my kids every opportunity possible,’” Malek said. “I would hear stories about her being pregnant with my brother and me, and taking three buses — three different buses — to get to work and back.”