On the red carpet, the cast of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' talks about Queen, Acting Method | Arts

A five-person fanfare played "Do not Stop Me Now" at the bottom of AMC Loews' third floor walk Boston Commons: a grand entry for actors at the first stop of the Bohemian Rhapsody press tour . Joseph Mazzello (John Deacon), Gwilym Lee (Brian May) and Rami Malek (Freddie Mercury), winner of an Emmy Award, arrived late on the miniature red carpet. In the middle of the reduced strip and carpet, the actors seemed larger than life, which made their warmth even more gratifying.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a celebration of Queen – his rise to success, his fight and his revolutionary music – tracing the band's journey from its inception to its legendary 1985 Live Aid concert performance for the relief of famine in Ethiopia. Mercury is struggling with her bisexuality and the film recounts Mercury's courageous return following her diagnosis of AIDS.

The Harvard Crimson had the opportunity to talk to Malek, Mazzello and Lee about their experience in making the film, which offers to recreate many performances of Queen. In fact, the renowned rock band has given some of the most famous shows in history, asking the question: how did the cast prepare for such a daunting task?

"Working hours and hours studying images of the band playing and studying interviews, manners, physical presence and their voices," said Lee. "The actors also received help from 39, a very special guest Brian May – Queen's lead guitarist – was the music producer of the film.

"When we do concerts, he would be on the set," Lee said. "The first day of rehearsal, the meeting was rather terrifying, but he came to see us, gave us a big hug and, from that moment, we felt that we had his support and his blessing. He was amazing. Rather than giving technical advice, May explained to the actors how they could physically sell Queen's performances.

In addition to May's advice, Malek made sure to prepare for his Mercury role with archival research and even more physical training.

"If you play Freddie Mercury, you'd better pay tribute to this man and do him justice. It means being as bold and free as possible, "Malek said. After viewing almost all archive footage on Mercury, Malek went from casual fan to enthusiast.

"I worked with a dialect coach and a movement coach, who helped me express his personality in normal everyday life and on stage as well. Freddie was not choreographed, so I did not want to work with a choreographer, "Malek said. "I wanted to be able to burn almost spontaneously as he does on stage. Everything is impulsive with him, and I wanted to be as impulsive as possible day after day on this stage and with every sentence every day for six months. "

Just about everyone knows the iconic sweep of "We Will Rock You" and the contagious weight of "We Are the Champions. most prominent example. When shooting the concert that was to be the final scene of "Bohemian Rhapsody," more than 500 extras were present to recreate the immensity of the experience.

"We invited Queen's fans to watch the movie and be part of it," Malek said. "There is this relationship that you have to eat to do some of these moments together. You really feel the difference [between] when they are there and when they are not there, and you need them to raise you up. "

Live Aid performance "We are the champions" was Mazzello's favorite scene. "I had an out-of-body experience in doing that," he said. "I was on stage trying to remember the choreography and I thought," I can not believe I'm doing it. ' "

For Mazzello, Queen as a group and captured in "Bohemian Rhapsody" is a group for everyone. "They really talk to marginalized and excluded people," said Mazzello. "They always play with that person at the back of the room who feels a bit lonely, who has had a difficult day at school or at work. They really want to give pleasure to as many people as possible. That's what we want to do with this film too, so if you get a little fun, that's the point. "

"Bohemian Rhapsody" is scheduled for release on November 2 in American theaters.

– The personal writer Tiffany A. Rekem can be reached at [email protected].