Queue-T: Rami Malek is Changing What It Means to Be a Lead Actor

A year ago, USA made a big bet. A big, smart bet. They aired the first season of Mr. Robot, a show not just unique to their programming, but unique among the entire sea of incredible TV shows that are available to us at any moment of any day. A show about a mentally unstable computer hacker. What? And, how? And then Christian Slater’s name was attached and people were intrigued. Is he this computer guy, because know he can lead a show. Well, not quite. The star of this show is Rami Malek.
If you said the words “Rami Malek” to the majority of the American public just 12 months ago, most would give you the blankest stare they could manage. In fact, you’d be better off asking them how to hack into the network of one of the biggest companies in the world. They might be able to provide more information on that. But here we are, just days away from the season 2 premiere of Mr. Robot, and there is no other actor generating more buzz or turning more heads. Well, unless of course you’re that guy taking romantic beach strolls with Taylor Swift.
In fact, that guy should listen up. Malek is a leading man in a way that is very new for Hollywood. Let’s just take a moment to get a little bit superficial here. There’s probably a casting director or two who has expressed a similar feeling before, but look at him. Does that face scream “leading man”? Not at first, it doesn’t. The beady eyes, the protruding upper lip and the razor sharp jaw lines add up to a really interesting looking face. But certainly not the kind of mug we’re using to seeing on our stars. No one is mistaking Malek for Ryan Gosling. And that’s a great thing.

Elliot Alderson is one of the most complex TV characters we’ve seen in quite some time. Pretty boys need not apply to this role. Actually? The pretty boys might be getting a little worried, because Malek is paving the way for a new generation of actors, the kind that don’t come with a perfect face. The kind that can jump for joy when they hear the phrase, “We’re looking for more of a Rami Malek-type”, which has no doubt been uttered much more recently.

Let’s be clear: in no way is Malek unattractive. Oh, hell no. It’s those eyes and those lips and that jaw line that keep the eyes of millions of viewers fixated on their screens. It’s because he looks so refreshingly different from all the other leading men that draws you in, that makes you stare, that makes you wonder who he is. Plus, the fact that he is of Egyptian descent and not just another white bro adds to the intrigue. Let’s also pause to mention that the double standard is in full effect here, and is fully fucked up. An actress like Renee Zellweger was recently chided for her face looking a little bit different than it used to, and yet the uniqueness of Malek’s grill is celebrated.
However, the the character of Elliot does require him to look differently. You can’t just throw an Efron in that role. It’s a fantastic role. But it needs someone just a little bit…off. There’s gotta be mystery in those eyes. And not the, “How many other women is he dating at one time?” kind of mystery. No, this is more the, “Who IS this man?” kind of mystery. This is the kind of leading man that’s not getting all the girls and saving the day. He’s the exact opposite. He’s pushing the girls away and turning the world into a bigger mess. But we’re still rooting for him?
Elliot is a complex role inhabited by a complex actor. While he still hadn’t achieved household name status, Malek had a pretty varied career before landing Mr. Robot. He kicked off his career with a role on Gilmore Girls in 2004, which is just delightful. Since then, he’s appeared in three Night at the Museum movies, as well as memorable roles in flicks like Larry Crowne, Need for Speed, and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2. But it was his parts in The Master and Short Term 12 where you could really start to see the talent this dude possesses.

Actors like Michael Cera, Jesse Eisenberg and even Jim Parsons might not be what we’ve considered as traditionally handsome in the past, and are able to play characters that are slightly odd or awkward. They seem to be typecast in those awkward, bumbling roles, that aren’t always given additional layers of mystery or personality. But luckily for them, those roles are plentiful. Perhaps even more so than the action hero or hunky romantic dude roles, even. However, an actor like Benedict Cumberbatch is very much in the same zone as Malek. He’s got a multidimensional character on his hands with Sherlock, and then there’s that face. Is it a typically attractive male actor face? Well, it depends who you ask. But there are certainly droves of fans that never want to look away from it.
So what we’re gathering here today is that unique face + intriguing role = success. Kinda! Malek is the type of actor that can wear the same wardrobe in each episode, that signature black hoodie, and he can throw the hood up, shove his hands into his pockets, walk around with his head down, hardly ever smiling, and yet, we can’t get enough of it.
While we are still in desperate need of these nuanced roles for women in TV and movies, it’s interesting to see how these parts are changing for the men. If you’re a handsome leading man, there will be an opportunity for you to go fight a bear in the woods or strip down in front of sorority girls, no problem. But if there’s something just a little bit different about your face, well, you better brush up on your hacking lingo because you’re going to need it. And let’s just hope it’s the ladies’ turn next.
[Where to stream Mr. Robot]