In the realm of musical biographies, one simply doesn't get bigger than "Bohemian Rhapsody." Honestly, it's not even close. The film about the story of the band Queen mainly focused on the late lead singer Freddie Mercury, is one of the greatest films ever made that isn't part of a major franchise. Earning $910 million at the global box office, it became a real sensation, winning several Oscars. Chief among them was Rami Malek, who took home Best Actor for his work as Mercury.

To say that Mr. Mercury is a legend would be an understatement. Embodying that kind of special personality is no easy task. While the film itself, which is credited to director Bryan Singer, though he was fired from the production late in the gameis largely a mixed bag for many critics and viewers, the general consensus is that Malek was truly outstanding as Mercury. But the big question is, did Malek actually sing those legendary Queen songs? Was his voice like Mercury in the movie?

"It's an amalgamation of several voices," Malek said in an interview with Metro (via NME) in October 2018. "But mostly mine and everybody's hope is that we get to hear as much Freddie as possible." "I think that's the goal for all of us."

To get off the road to the top, no, none of Freddie Mercury's actual singing in "Bohemian Rhapsody" is done by Rami Malek. That said, when the first look of the film was released in September 2017the actor explained that he did, indeed, work on his singing voice as part of the preparation.

"We'll use Freddie as much as possible and I'll use myself as much as possible."

So who sang if not Malek? Marc Martel, a musician who actually sang in a Queen cover band, is the voice behind Freddie Mercury in the film. Oddly enough, Martel started making Christian music and posting videos on YouTube. One of his bandmates at one point remarked that his style was very similar to Mercury. Then it all clicked into place.

The film's producers eventually claimed it. Martel is a key part of that amalgamation, as Malek called it, providing the late icon's singing voice. Footage of Martel singing the songs was mixed with Queen's original footage to create what audiences hear in the film. "I never thought it would be anything more than a fun karaoke stunt," Martel said in a 2019 interview. The New York Times. The singer further explained some of the differences between his vocal style and Mercury's.

“I'm not British so I don't usually sing with an accent. I don't have extra teeth like he does, so my S's come out normally - his were very pierced. But even if I don't try to sing like Freddie Mercury, people still hear it in my voice, no matter what I do I have this weird unique thing where I can sound like him, so why not?

Martell was officially credited for "additional vocals" in the final film. Understandably, ahead of the film's release and as the buzz for the Oscars was building, the producers and Fox, the studio that backed the film, were reluctant to take Malek's hand, who was the favorite to win the top prize. An actor.

Rami Malek won Best Actor for his performance as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. beating off strong competition from the likes of Bradley Cooper ("A Star Is Born"), Christian Bale ("Vice"), Willem Dafoe ("Eternity's Gate") and Viggo Mortenson ("Green Book"). The film didn't win Best Picture, however, as The Green Book took home the night's top prize.

But the real prize was the $910 million box office. To make matters even better, the Bohemian Rhapsody soundtrack became a bestseller in its own right, becoming one of the best-selling albums of 2019. To date, it has sold more than 2.7 million copies, according to BestBellingAlbums.org. However, for all the success the soundtrack experienced for being directly tied to a massive hit film, Malek had nothing to do with it.

The "Bohemian Rhapsody" soundtrack does not feature any of Malek's vocals, just like the film. Rolling Stone even opened his review of the soundtrack by saying, "Don't worry, you don't have to hear Rami Malek sing." Instead, the film serves as an interesting collection of Queen songs. Some old favorites, some new mixes, and even Queen's take on the 20th Century Fox jingle.

Most importantly, the soundtrack features unreleased versions of songs from Queen's legendary Live Aid performance, which is a key part of the film. The album features versions of songs such as "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Radio Gaga", "Hammer to Fall" and "We Are the Champions" from the 1985 performance at Wembley Stadium. What it doesn't feature is Malek, aside from his appearance as Mercury on the cover.

As is often the case in Hollywood, "Bohemian Rhapsody" was in development for years before it was made. As such, there were more than a few actors considered for the lead role before Rami Malek landed. Malek first signed on to the project in 2015, replacing Ben Whishaw ("Skyfall," "Paddington"). Whishaw certainly had a look, but dropped out after Dexter Fletcher left the director's chair. Interestingly, Fletcher took over finishing the film after Singer was fired.

But Whisfhaw wasn't the only one who almost played Freddie Mercury. Famously enough, Sacha Baron Cohen, of Borat fame, was once attached to the project before leaving due to creative differences in the development process. For what it's worth, in a 2021 interview, Queen drummer Roger Taylor has expressed his belief that Cohen would be wrong for the role.

"I think he would have been extremely hostile. Maybe it's wrong, I thought he was an absolutely brilliant subversive comedian, that's what he's great at.'

The other big name attached to the role at one point was Oscar Isaac ("Star Wars: The Force Awakens," "Moon Knight"). In a 2021 interview, Isaac turned in his portrayal of Freddie Mercury in the film. His thinking seemed to make sense, but, as the actor admits, he was very wrong about the whole thing.

"At the time I thought, 'I don't think anyone wants to see someone pretending to be Freddie Mercury.' And then, sure - everybody wanted to see somebody do Freddie Mercury, so I don't think I could ever do what Rami did - obviously everybody thought that - he was great. "

As one might expect, the success of "Bohemian Rhapsody" opened several doors for Malek. The actor certainly made a name for himself before this movie came out, appearing in films like The Master and Short 12, but that Oscar win coupled with such a massive box office hit catapulted him to the top of Hollywood. A-list.

The first order of business for Malek was to end his hit show "Mr. Robot," with its fourth and final season ending in December 2019. However, having that show on the books freed up Malek to capitalize on his newfound superstardom, and his first post-Oscar business win was to join one of the biggest franchises in cinematic history. Namely, "James Bond".

Malek played the villain Safin opposite Daniel Craig's 007 in No Time to Die. The film didn't end up hitting theaters until late 2021 due to the pandemic, but it was a huge hit and Malek helped send off Craig's version of the character in style. Among fans, many felt that Safin was a bit of an underwhelming villain, with Malek not getting a ton of screen time. However, it was still a great opportunity.

The actor has also starred in several flops over the past few years, including the unfortunate fall of Robert Downer Jr. "Dolittle" and "Amsterdam" by director David O. Russell in 2022. However, Malek was only a bit player in those films, relatively speaking. To a large extent, the actor is associated with success. That extends off-screen as well, with Malek starring in the scripted podcast series Blackout.

Malek's biggest success since "Bohemian Rhapsody" is, oddly enough, a film in which he was only a small part. Malke played the small but pivotal role of David Hill in Director Christopher Nolan's Best Picture-winning blockbuster Oppenheimer. Interestingly, Nolan's biopic about J.J. Robert Oppenheimer ($975 million worldwide) surpassed "Bohemian Rhapsody" to become the highest-grossing biopic of all time. Malek put his stamp on both, albeit in very different capacities.

Next up for Malek is an action thriller called The Amateur, which finds Malek starring as a CIA cryptographer who manages to blackmail the agency into letting him go after a group of terrorists who killed his wife. It is currently set to hit theaters on April 11, 2025.