Rami Malek is a champion, my friends
CNN/Stylemagazine.com Newswire | 2/25/2019, 2 p.m.
Queen may have opened the Oscars, but Rami Malek is the real champion of the night.
By Sandra Gonzalez, CNN
(CNN) -- Queen may have opened the Oscars, but Rami Malek is the real champion of the night.
Malek on Sunday picked up the best actor award for playing Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in "Bohemian Rhapsody."
In his acceptance speech, Malek reflected on his journey and the importance of immigrant stories.
"I think about what it would have been like to tell little bubba Rami that one day this might happen to him and I think his curly-haired little mind would be blown," he said. "He was struggling with his identity, trying to figure himself out. And I think to anyone struggling with theirs, and trying to discover their voice: Listen, we made a film about a gay man, an immigrant, who lived his life just unapologetically himself. The fact that I'm celebrating him and this story with you tonight is proof that we're longing for stories like this."
In his speech, Malek pointed out that he is a first-generation American. His parents are from Egypt.
"Part of my story is being written right now. And I could not be more grateful to each and every one of you, and everyone who believed in me for this moment," he said. "It's something I will treasure for the rest of my life."
Malek's win was a big win for the film, which had a well-chronicled battle to the big screen, but not its only statue of the night. "Bohemian Rhapsody" also picked up the awards for film editing, sound editing and sound mixing.
