After scooping up the Best Actor award at the 2019 Academy Awards for his critically-acclaimed portrayal of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, Egyptian-American actor Rami Malek went backstage to speak to press, in which he showed off his Arabic speaking skills and gave advice to young Arab talents. “I read that you grew up loving Umm Kalthoum and Omar Sharif, and there’s plenty of Arab young talents growing up now loving Rami Malek. If it’s not too much to ask, what would you say to these guys or ladies, in Arabic if possible?” a reporter asked him. “Well, I will begin by saying ahlan wasahlan, forsa saeeda we menawar” Malek replied. He then went on to say how he never completely proud of his identity, and always felt as an ‘outsider’, before he started to learn more about the ‘magic’ and ‘pure art’ coming from the Middle East. “When I grew up as a kid, part of me felt like I needed to shed some of that. I didn’t feel like I fit in, I definitely felt like the outsider.” “As I got older I realized just how beautiful my heritage and…
‘Ahlan Wasahlan’: Watch Rami Malek Give Advice to Young Arabs
February 25, 2019
