Rami Malek was 'terrified' of essaying the role of Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody

After the much anticipated Queen biopic hit theaters earlier this week, the star of the film Rami Malek stepped forward articulating his feelings on playing the music icon.

According to a Daily Mail report, the 37-year-old actor revealed that he had initially been terrified at the idea of essaying the character of Freddie Mercury - the legendary musician and lead singer of the classic rock band Queen.

“Every part of me was terrified. But then, what are you going to do? It's an opportunity of a lifetime. I couldn't pass it up,” he revealed.

He went on to state that he made sure to keep the performance as natural as possible. “I was very cognizant of not wanting to imitate him or impersonate him at all. I started to think about how everything he did was spontaneous, in the moment. He is someone who lived every moment as if it was his last, I feel.”

“I think that's what makes him so gorgeous. He's so authentic, and I wanted to be that authentic on stage, so I tried never to just copy his moves. I wanted them to spring from me as if they were happening to him,” he added further.

The freshly-released film that pays accolades to the rock band and the deceased lead singer has received mixed review thus far with several critics leaving theaters unimpressed, as The Wrap terms it to be: “An object example of how a film can be entertaining and even exhilarating without being particularly good.”