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Rami Malek’s Oscar Speech Was an Ode to Immigrant Children

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Rami Malek is on a roll. The Egyptian-American actor has won the Actor in a Leading Role award for his portrayal of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in “Bohemian Rhapsody” at the 91st edition of the Academy Awards, which unfolded in Los Angeles on Sunday. He beat out Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Viggo Mortensen, and Willem Dafoe.

Malek is the first actor of Arabic descent to win the prestigious award, a feat that didn’t go unnoticed during his acceptance speech. “I am the son of immigrants from Egypt,” Malek said when he took to the stage at Hollywood & Highland Center to accept his latest accolade. “I think about what it would have been like to tell little bubba Rami that one day this might happen to him,” said Malek, who was born to Egyptian immigrants in Los Angeles. “And I think his curly-haired little mind would be blown. He was struggling with his identity, trying to figure himself out,” he shared. “I’m a first generation American. This is something I will treasure for the rest of my life,” he added.

The Mr. Robot actor’s new trophy will certainly fit right in with the string of accolades he’s accumulated in the past few weeks for his acclaimed performance in the biopic. Malek also took home the award for Best Actor in a Drama at the 2019 Golden Globes, as well as Breakthrough Performance Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. He also won Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role in a Motion Picture at the 2019 SAG Awards.

As Freddie Mercury would say, he is the champion, my friends…

Mabrouk!

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