What does ‘white-passing’ mean? Oscar-winning actor Rami Malek recalls past arrest for liquor store robbery

In an interview with The Guardian, Rami Malek, who is famous for acting in Bohemian Rhapsody, Mr. Robot, The Pacific, etc., shared how he was once seemingly racially profiled by the Los Angeles Police Department.

As per the interview published on January 18, 2025, Rami Malek was arrested by the police, who were looking for a man of Latin descent who robbed a liquor store and stole a woman's purse. He did not mention when the incident took place. He said:

"I got thrown on the bonnet of an LAPD cop car because someone had robbed a liquor store and stolen a woman’s bag. They said the [thief] was of Latin descent and, ‘You fit the description.’ I remember how hot that engine was, they must have been racing over there and it was almost burning my hands."

Malek also said how his friend's quick thinking saved him. His friend cleverly told the police that the actor was Egyptian, not Latin. He shared how he thought he would be arrested for a crime he did not commit. In the interview, Rami Malek also discussed his parents, who traveled from Cairo, Egypt, to America to provide their children with a better life.

He shared how his father openly embraced the US but did not accept certain aspects of the culture. Rami Malek also called himself 'white-passing' and talked about how he and his family didn't quite fit in because of "distinctive features."

There was also a definite … I won’t say alienating yourself from certain aspects of the culture, but definitely not accepting them. I don’t know how you ever get over that. I’m what’s called ‘white-passing,’ but I have very distinctive features, and we definitely didn’t fit in," Malek said.

As per ThoughtCo, the term 'white-passing' means when a person is not white racially but is assumed to be white because of their features. The white-passing person allegedly gets more privileges and opportunities compared to other people from their race who do not have the features that can be considered as "passing".

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Rami Malek refused to portray his character as a religious extremist in Bond movie No Time To Die

Malek at the World Premiere Of "NO TIME TO DIE" - Red Carpet (Image via Getty)

In an interview with The Daily Mirror on July 2, 2019, Rami Malek shared how he hesitated to play the Bond villain, Lyutsifer Safin, even though he liked the character. He told the director, Cary Fukunaga, that he would not act in the movie if his character was a terrorist who committed acts of terrorism motivated by his religious beliefs.

"It’s a great character and I’m very excited. But that was one thing that I discussed with Cary. I said, ‘We cannot identify him with any act of terrorism reflecting an ideology or a religion. That’s not ­something I would entertain, so if that is why I am your choice, then you can count me out.'"

Fukunaga then assured the Egyptian actor that was not part of his vision and that the villain was not like that and convinced the Oscar-winning actor to play the role of Lyutsifer Safin for No Time To Die.

Meanwhile, Rami Malek told USA Today on October 6, 2021, that playing Freddy Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody gave him "all the confidence in the world" and helped him overcome fear and doubt about potentially playing a role in No Time To Die.

"Playing Freddie Mercury gave me all the confidence in the world to step into this role and remove that sense of fear or doubt."

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Rami Malek's next project is the action thriller The Amateur, directed by James Hawes and based on Robert Littell's 1981 novel. The movie stars Rachel Brosnahan, Caitríona Balfe, Jon Bernthal, Michael Stuhlbarg, etc. It will be released on April 11, 2025.