Rami Malekis opening up about the allegations against directorBryan Singer.
“My heart goes out to anyone who has to live through anything like what I’ve heard and what is out there,” Malek, 37, said. “It’s awful, it’s remarkable that this happens. I can appreciate so much what they’ve been through and how difficult this must be for them. In the light of the #MeToo era that this somehow seems to exist after that, it’s a horrible thing.”
Steve Granitz/WireImage; Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic
“I’ve sat here and talked about how everyone deserves a voice and anyone who wants to talk about what happened with Bryan deserves to have their voice heard,” Malek added. “In my situation with Bryan, it was not pleasant, not at all. And that’s about what I can say about it at this point.”
Singer, 53, was fired from the biopic in December 2017 for allegedly being “unexpectedly unavailable” for several days on set. His firing also came amid reports that there was tension between him and Malek.
“For anyone who is seeking any solace in all of this, Bryan Singer was fired,” Malek added during the panel, visibly emotional. “Bryan Singer was fired. I don’t think that was something anyone saw coming but I think that had to happen and it did.”
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In 2017, a lawsuit was filed against the director, alleging that he raped a boy, who was 17 years old at the time,Indie Wirereported.
In alengthy reportThe Atlanticpublished in late January,four more men spoke outagainst the director, claiming he seduced and had sex with them while they were underage — one as young as 13.
TheAtlanticreport was published in the wake ofBohemian Rhapsodybeing nominated for multiple Oscars including Best Picture and crossing over $800 million at the worldwide box office.
Rami Malek.Alex Bailey/Fox
Singer’s lawyer Andrew Brettler toldThe Atlanticthat the director categorically denies ever having sex with, or a preference for, underage men. The lawyer also noted that Singer has never been arrested for or charged with any crime.
Victor Valdovinos, who says he worked as an extra in Singer’s 1997 filmApt Pupil, claims the director “grabbed my genitals and started masturbating it” when he was 13 and they were filming a locker room scene. Singer had reportedly been shooting the movie at Valdovinos’ school. He claims Singer asked him to appear in the film after they first met in the school bathroom.
Three other men, all under pseudonyms, alleged Singer seduced them during parties at his Beverly Hills mansion in the late ’90s — two when they were 17, and one when he was 15.
A fifth man quoted in the story, Cesar Sanchez-Guzman,previously filed a lawsuit against Singer in 2017after alleging the director raped him on a yacht in 2003 when he was 17. In a statement through his lawyers, Singer previously said he “categorically denies these allegations and will vehemently defend this lawsuit to the very end.”
The writers ofThe Atlanticarticle, Maximillian Potter and Alex French, responded in a statement released on Twitter, saying, “We are most grateful that the alleged victims now have a chance to be heard and we hope the substance of their allegations remains the focus.”
Malek told theLos Angeles Timeson Jan. 22 thathe was unawareof the allegations against Singer when he signed up to do the film.
“As far as I knew, I was considered before Bryan was even attached,” he told the outlet. “So I had my head down preparing for this for about a year ahead of time, and I never really looked up.”
“I didn’t know much about Bryan,” the actor continued. “I think that the allegations and things were, believe it or not, honestly something I was not aware of, and that is what it is.”
Backstage following the awards, the actor explained his decision to leave Singer out of his speech.
“There’s only one thing we needed to do and that was to celebrate Freddie Mercury in this film. He is a marvel. There is only one Freddie Mercury and nothing would compromise us giving him the love, celebration and adulation he deserves.”
source: people.com
