Rami Malek’s latest role in The Amateur has left a lasting impression on him but not just because of the action-packed storyline. The actor, best known for playing Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, says working on the CIA thriller has made him more alert and a bit unsettled about just how closely we’re being watched in cities like London.
The film follows Malek as Charlie Heller, a CIA codebreaker who loses his wife, played by Rachel Brosnahan, in a terrorist attack. When the agency refuses to take proper action, he pushes back, demanding training and diving headfirst into a solo mission to track down those responsible. It’s not your typical shootout story and Charlie uses brain over brawn, relying on tech, smarts and cyber tools to get justice.
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But it wasn’t just the role that got Malek thinking differently. While shooting in London, one of the most heavily monitored cities in the world, he became hyperaware of the sheer number of surveillance cameras. “There were something like 937,000 cameras in London,” he said at the premiere. “Probably even more now.”
Instead of feeling safer, he admits the experience left him with a sense that privacy might be a thing of the past. “I already felt like I was being watched all the time. This just confirmed it. There’s really no such thing as a secret anymore.”
Rami Malek explores themes of loss, revenge, and surveillance in The AmateurGetty Images
Malek, who recently wrapped a stage run at the Old Vic, even joked about how people now speak in public, gesturing that many cover their mouths just in case someone’s listening in. “You start to wonder what the government hears. What’s being recorded. Even right now, I’ve got four microphones and cameras all around me.”
Despite the paranoia, the actor found something deeper in the story. He reflected on grief, saying that his character could have shut down but instead chose to channel his loss into purpose. “There’s a determination that comes from that kind of pain,” he said.
Set against London’s watchful backdrop, The Amateur follows one man’s fight for justice after a personal tragedyGetty Images
Based on a novel from 1981, The Amateur also stars Caitriona Balfe, Jon Bernthal and Laurence Fishburne, and hits UK cinemas on April 11.
