No Time to Die: Rami Malek Says "There Was No Way" He Would Turn Down James Bond Villain Role

Fresh off winning the Best Actor Academy Award for playing Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody and in the midst of filming the final season of playing his Emmy winning character in Mr. Robot, Rami Malek surprised the world when he was confirmed to appear in Daniel Craig's swansong as James Bond. Not only was Malek set to star in the 25th Bond film, but he'd be playing the villain in the film. At a time when the actor probably could have done anything, it surprised many for him to take a part that was usually reserved for character actors. In a new interview, Malek said that any potential leading man parts didn't matter, he wasn't going to miss out on Bond.

"Look, there was no way I was going to say no," Malek told British GQ about appearing in No Time to Die. "It's a 007 film, man. They're a part of our cinematic history...An opportunity to go toe-to-toe, head-to-head with Daniel (Craig) and give them all I got? That's something I'll look back on as as big as it gets." Malek went on to tease the kind of character crafted by he and the filmmakers, describing the crafting of Safin as: "We really did sit down, and think about what would truly frighten us, what would send a real panic into our hearts. It's that sense of dread that sets it apart."

His co-star and Bond himself spoke about Malek's turn in the film as well, adding: "I go up against people. I'm up against him. Rami knows me. He understands the weight of what he's playing. He understands he's playing a Bond villain – what that means, what it means historically and the kind of Bond villains that have come before. Rami's really good at his job. I mean, that's an understatement."

The wait for No Time to Die has gotten even longer for fans of the franchise as the film was originally scheduled to debut in April of this year but was pushed to November of 2020 days after tickets first went on sale. A month ago it was pushed once again to April of 2021 and will arrive a full year after it was originally scheduled to. Currently set to arrive on April 2, 2021, director Cary Fukunaga isn't convinced that it won't be delayed yet again.

What are you hoping to see in No Time to Die and from Malek's villain? Sound off in the comment section below.