Rami Malek Pretended to Be His Twin Brother For a Grade — and Never Got Caught
Rami Malek became one of Hollywood’s biggest celebrities after his Oscar-winning turn in Bohemian Rhapsody.
While the actor has been in Hollywood for nearly two decades, his fascinating story goes back to childhood. Rami has an identical twin brother named Sami. Sami is a teacher who steers away from the spotlight.
However, when he needed some help, he took advantage of his brother’s ambitions to pass a class.
Rami Malek’s rise
Gilmore Girls fans will immediately recognize Rami’s first on-screen role as Andy. This kicked off a long and successful career in film and television. From voice-work in Halo 2 to a small part in Night at the Museum and a three-episode arc in 24, Rami had a slew of A-list material long before headlining award-winning movies.
From Spike Lee to Paul Thomas Anderson, Rami worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood. However, when he got the call for Mr. Robot, his career changed forever. He was no longer pushed off to the side. He was a bona fide leading man.
With his name above the credits and a hit show behind him, he was cast as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody after Sacha Baron Cohen dropped out.
It was one of his most prominent roles to date, and with the gold to go with it, it brought him to another level. Fans can now see Rami alongside fellow-Oscar winners Denzel Washington and Jared Leto in The Little Things, which premiered in January.
However, the most significant role he ever played to date may not be a fictionalized rock star or a television hacker, but a sibling. ,
Who is Sami Malek
Sami Malek was not interested in Hollywood the same way that his brother was. Instead, he touches the lives of people in a different stage – the classroom.
Although red carpet photos showing the brothers side by side show clear differences, Rami mostly clean-shaven while Sami sports a beard; they are identical twins. Sami is a well-respected teacher who supports his brother through his high-profile career.
However, sometimes their twinhood came with some advantages. Rami spoke with Jimmy Kimmel about one of the greatest tricks they ever pulled.
The ultimate understudy
Speaking with the late-night host, Rami remembered back in school when his brother was in a pickle that only one person could solve. Harkening to their early days, the two never shied away from using their privilege as twins to get what they wanted and needed.
“We were troublemakers as kids. We did some bad stuff,” the actor told Kimmel. “He calls me one day, I had just gotten back from theater school — we went to different colleges — and he calls me in a panic, saying, ‘Hey, do you know a Greek monologue from a Greek tragedy?’ (Per People)”
As the theater child of the family, Rami knew what was coming next. In a plot taken from nearly every twin-based work of fiction, he stepped in to do something that only brothers could do.
“I’m like, ‘Yeah, of course, I’ve just been doing this for four years.’ ” Rami told the show. “He goes, ‘Listen, I need you to come down to my university’ — a major American university in Los Angeles — he goes, ‘I need you to do this for my class, it’s going to get me the points I need to get me my degree. I’m short on these units. She’s offering points if anybody comes in and does this monologue.’ (Per People)”
It worked. Not only did it show Rami’s chops at an early age, but it showed what he was willing to do to get his brother out of a bind. Both may have gone their separate careerwise, but they remain close to this day. Looking back at their time in college, however, we get some insight into how Rami gets into character and his ability to, quite literally, sink into the shoes of another person.
