QUEEN guitarist
Brian May has admitted to
Newsweek that he was surprised by the success of the band's biopic,
"Bohemian Rhapsody", which smashed box office records to become the highest-grossing music biopic of all time.
"Nobody expected it to be that huge,"
May said. "We thought it would do quite well. We didn't expect it to be a record-breaking blockbuster. The guitarist went on to say that he was "delighted" with the film, and praised actor
Rami Malek, who plays
Freddie Mercury, as "colossal." He added: "What an incredible performance he gives. He just became
Freddie."
May also expressed his warm approval of Welsh actor
Gwilym Lee, who played him in the movie and practised guitar with
QUEEN legend to prepare for the role. "All the time we were together he was clocking me,"
May said. "He was absorbing what I was doing unconsciously. He's absorbing my mannerisms, my body movements, the tone of my voice. He just became me."
According to
Deadline,
"Bohemian Rhapsody" has broken music biopic records domestically ($175.7 million) and at the international box office ($433 million) for a global take of $608.7 million. The film has also garnered two
Golden Globes and two
SAG Award nominations.
While many reviews have slammed
"Bohemian Rhapsody" for its uninspired storytelling, some people have also taken issue with the movie's depiction of
Mercury's sexuality — or rather, its lack thereof. The biopic focuses heavily on the relationship between him and the rock star's former fiancée
Mary Austin, who discovers midway through the film that he's cheating on her with other men.
May told
Classic Rock magazine that the biopic was really all about
Mercury.
"It's very emotional. It's all about
Freddie," he said. 'Yes, we are in there, but the story is about
Freddie and that was always the aim. Obviously,
Freddie is so precious to us. One of the great breakthroughs early on was [screenwriter]
Peter Morgan saying: 'This is a film about family.' It's about all the stuff that happens in a family — some good, some bad, the going away, the searching for independence and then the nurture of the family. It's a film about that stuff, on one level, and then it's about
Freddie's emerging talent, his amazing resilience and sense of humor."
According to
Screen Rant,
Sacha Baron Cohen and
Ben Whishaw were set to play
Freddie Mercury at different stages in the movie's development, prior to
Malek's casting.
Cohen's vision for the film was reportedly very "adult" in tone and clashed with what the surviving members of
QUEEN had in mind, leading to the actor's departure.
"Bohemian Rhapsody" began production with
"X-Men" director
Bryan Singer behind the camera, but the filmmaker was fired from the movie after he disappeared from set and caused production delays.
Dexter Fletcher, best known for making
"Eddie the Eagle", stepped in to replace
Singer in the director's chair.