‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ explores a strange new world very effectively

DUBAI: It’s been nearly two years since Rami Malek took to the stage at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles to receive the Academy Award for Best Actor for his acclaimed performance as a late pop star and performer. against Queen Freddie Mercury in “Bohemian Rhapsody,” a film that has made more than $ 900 million worldwide. Nothing of the moment was lost on him when he looked at the crowd.

“Part of my story is being written right now,” said Malek, now the son of a 39-year-old Egyptian immigrant, in his acceptance speech, which marked the first time a man of heritage has won Arab the prize.

Malek, and everyone in the room, knew what got him to that point in his story. The enthusiasm for his craft was evident in every frame of the film, as he not only included the legendary singer, but brought new perspectives into his character. The question that remained, even for Malek himself, was where that talent and enthusiasm would take his story next.

The answer is “The Little Things,” written and directed by John Lee Hancock, which opens in the UAE and Saudi Arabia on Jan.28. This is Malek’s first big screen show from “Bohemian Rhapsody. “He plays a tracker named Jim Baxter, running a serial killer with the same single focus that has made Malek himself so successful.

Unlike Malek’s story, however, Baxter’s story is very cautious, as his relentless pursuit almost destroys him. That, of course, drew Malek to the post.

“The idea was when an obsession starts to overwhelm so many other aspects of your life. I think it’s a good thing that I remember, ”Malek tells Arab News.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic closed across Hollywood just months after “The Little Things” ended filming in late 2019, Malek, like all of us, has had a lot of time. Through those long months, Malek has continued to think back on the last character he played, realizing that a single focus on his own career could take away from the most important things.

“Maybe this year has taught us a lot about that too. We get so focused on certain things, become so narrow that we have a unique tunnel vision of what needs to be achieved in our lives and what we need to do, that we start to forget the things most importantly and maybe Jim gave me a little bit of that, ”says Malek.

Beyond that, a year of social distance has given Malek a renewed sense of humanity itself, and the responsibilities that come with it.

“[Our art] extremely important; this is what we are involved in – our heart and our work – and that, of course, means a lot. But loving your partner, the relationship you have with your friends and family, how interconnected we all are, and a sense of equality around the world is something that I think we are all thinking about it now in a strong, focused way, ”Malek continues.

Flanking Malek in “The Little Things” are two Oscar winners – Denzel Washington and Jared Leto. Leto was offered a part after Washington and Malek signed up, and the opportunity to work with Malek was something the famous actor and lead singer of the band 30 Seconds To Mars could not pass up.

“If you look at Rami and what he did in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ it’s (inspiring),” said Leto, who plays Albert Spama, who is a police suspect in a possible murder. serial. “I remember when I saw him for the first time after that, the first thing I said to him was, ‘Don’t forget the acting, what you did on stage deserves the awards in itself . ‘And, as someone who has stood on thousands of levels around the world, that’s not easy. They should almost throw a musician and teach them how to be, because that’s a hard thing to do. For me, being a physical actor is really (the thing that interests me). ”

In the film, Malek Baxter’s character moves on to the older, smarter Deacon Joe ‘Deke’, played by Washington. That relationship mirrored their daily interactions, as Malek missed the opportunity to learn from his talented co-star.

“Personally, if I see great wisdom and instincts and knowledge before me, I will continue to do so. I think that was also typical of the script. For someone who is struggling in an issue, with so much lifting up, so much responsibility, being able to be someone who had clearly been there before and seen something very dark – almost need to bring that person into your life and get advice from them, ”Malek says. “I think Baxter knew, in a way, that he would get down a harmful road. But there was something rewarding about working with this guy that would help him solve this difficult puzzle. ”

While Washington’s presence allowed Malek to learn from one of the most influential actors in film history on set, Malek was also seeking meetings with real critics to gain a better insight into the way they are. working. It was, of course, the way one detective stopped him that gave him his way into their minds.

“(He told me) he couldn’t come to a meeting we had done to do some research and talk about my character because he had just come across a ‘new one. ‘Those words kept me going and bothering me. At some point it will become common for them to do this. Some kind of impact has to happen to them, because I can never imagine getting used to seeing what they see on a daily basis, ”says Malek.

Ultimately, it’s the way the film unfolds that makes it lighter. The script, written by Hancock in 1993 and originally designed for Steven Spielberg, was intended to be both an ode to the detective film and a remake of the genre. According to Hancock, it’s usually the intent, where the good guys catch the bad producer, that’s the most interesting aspect of the film.

The Little Things have no heroes, and it’s not clear that there are prisoners. Coming to an end does not have positive answers, but setting a clear path for how men will be at risk and broken.

“One of the reasons I enjoyed this story is because your normal Hollywood doesn’t end there. It leaves you wondering what you think of how we look at people – criminals, even ourselves, ”says Malek.

As Malek himself continues to reflect, he enters the next chapter of his story with a renewed sense of what he is building towards.