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Rami Malek Recalls Being 'Thrown’ On Hood Of Police Car In Horrific Racial Profiling Incident

Rami Malek Recalls Being Mistaken For Robbery Suspect & ‘Thrown’ On Hood Of Police Car In Horrific Racial Profiling Incident

Rami Malek opened up about a horrifying incident with the police.

In a new interview published with The Guardian, the 43-year-old actor reflected on his experience with racism as an Egyptian-American man, including when the Los Angeles Police Department once racially profiled him. Rami recalled that an officer had “thrown” him “on the bonnet of an LAPD cop car because someone had robbed a liquor store and stolen a woman’s bag.”

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When the police tried to apprehend Rami, he said they told him the suspect “was of Latin descent” and he “‘fit the description.’” What the f**k. The Bohemian Rhapsody star continued:

“I remember how hot that engine was, they must have been racing over there and it was almost burning my hands.”

A friend who was Caucasian thankfully stepped in to help Rami. At the time, the “clever” pal pointed out to the police that the Breaking Dawn alum was Egyptian — “not Latin.” Despite what his friend said, Rami still did not know whether the cops would let him go:

“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.’”

So awful.

It is unknown when this incident happened. The Los Angeles Police Department also has not spoken out about his story. However, that is only one instance of racial profiling he has experienced in his life. As Rami pointed out, “It’s difficult enough traveling” as a Middle Eastern man in the airport. For a long time, he shared that his name — Rami Said Malek — always triggered airport security. But once he became famous, things changed a little:

“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.’”

Elsewhere in the interview, Rami went on to talk about growing up in Sherman Oaks (a neighborhood in Los Angeles) with his parents and twin brother Sami while trying to reconcile his identity:

“There was also a definite … I won’t say alienating yourself from certain aspects of the culture, but definitely not accepting them. 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.”

Because of that, Rami and Sami “had an uncanny way of sensing people” and reading situations over the years. It’s grown to the point where the Mr. Robot alum can’t “turn it off.” Rami recalled a moment when another actor told his partner, Emma Corrin:

“‘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.’ I don’t know if it’s a blessing or a curse. Sometimes I find it detrimental.”

You can read the full interview HERE. Reactions, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments.

[Image via MEGA/WENN]

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Jan 21, 2025 13:00pm PDT

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