Nelly Malek
We shed light on the family of the star Rami Malek, his mother, Nelly Malek, and his father, Saeed Malek, and the move from Egypt to America.
In an interview with The Guardian, Malek talked about his family and why he risked all for the part of Freddie Mercury.
Malek explains that his dad, Said Malek, was fascinated the opportunities in the west: “My dad was working as a travel agent there, and he would pick up visitors from the west. Through them he saw this other world that existed and he was fascinated by it.”
On the other hand his mom, Nelly Malek wasn’t keen to move to the USA: “She did not want to leave. She had family and friends, right next door, and it was hard to give up that for a city like LA that can sometimes feel estranged from neighbourhood to neighbourhood.” However his mother changed her mind in the end.
“My family are very creative, very intelligent, very lovable. But I’m first-generation American… I don’t think my parents ever thought that being an actor would be the best use of this transatlantic trip of theirs. You know, reshuffling their entire existence, so I could take a shot in the arts?” says Malek.
