Bohemian Rhapsody star Rami Malek insisted on shooting the movie’s climactic Live Aid scene in one take, after becoming concerned that song-by-song recording sessions lacked the required energy.

Malek – who's generating Oscar-nomination rumors for playing Freddie Mercury in the biggest-selling music biopic of all time – recalled the pressure of re-enacting Queen’s iconic 1985 performance on the first day of filming.

“I was somewhat prepared, but no one can ever prepare you for what that feeling was like,” Malek told a live audience in New York, according to Deadline. “What some consider the greatest performance in rock history was a challenge. I said, ‘What the hell, they built the stage, let’s do this.'”

He noted that "it was suppose to be a rehearsal day, but everyone was in costume, so I was very suspicious. … I had a certain confidence from working on long shots on [the TV show] Mr. Robot that gave me the ability to calm down. It was sink or swim, a baptism by fire: Day one was ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ day two was ‘Radio Gaga’ … ”

At the end of the series of individual takes, Malek approached producer Graham King and argued for an additional day of shooting. “We brought in three cranes with cameras and ran the entire 22-minute set,” he explained. “It was the best take we ever did. You’re running on pure adrenaline. My heart is pounding just thinking about it. You realize how much adrenaline was coursing through [Mercury’s] veins before 75,000 people. Really, I love acting. To add into this rock star feeling, it was like being on drugs.”

Meanwhile, the latest cover version of Queen’s classic “Bohemian Rhapsody” comes in the form of an a cappella Hannukah-themed revision by New York sextet Six13, complete with Yiddish lyrics in part and a vocal guitar solo.

You can watch the video below.

 

 

 

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