Rami Malek says he hesitated to sign on for Ira Sachs’ Cannes feature The Man I Love because he feared parallels to his Oscar-winning portrayal of Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. According to multiple outlets, Malek discussed having “a certain sense of fear” and telling himself that he “can’t do this” because the new project’s themes felt “too similar.” The Man I Love is set in 1980s New York and centers on a theater performer dealing with romance and an AIDS diagnosis. Malek also said he wanted to work with Sachs and had previously tried to arrange a meeting with the director, but the script’s similarities to Bohemian Rhapsody led him to hesitate before ultimately taking the role. Coverage ties his comments to the risk of public and critical comparisons between the two performances, particularly given that both characters involve illness. The reporting frames Malek’s decision as an effort to address those concerns before committing to the film.