Rami Malek gets fired up when talking about the homeland of his parents, Egypt. The 41-year-old actor – the first Egyptian-American to win an Academy Award – was born in Los Angeles but he’s very attached to his family’s roots. In Paris to talk about one of his latest projects, Malek looks dapper in a tailored shirt and trousers in a suite at one of the city’s luxury hotels. The project is not a movie or a TV series but a video directed by Guy Ritchie, in which he stars with French actress Catherine Deneuve. The clip, shot in the heart of the French capital, is for a campaign dedicated to the relaunch of the Tank Française watch from Cartier. A great dresser and a lover of the finer things in life, Malek says that looking well put together has always been part of who he is and is something that he inherited from his father, always impeccably dressed, who moved from Egypt to California in 1978 with his wife and Malek’s older sister. I can’t handle people in Los Angeles going to restaurants in flip flops Rami Malek “My mother would tell me that even when he didn’t have much money in Cairo he always dressed extremely well, and I was taken aback by that,” says Malek. “When he came to the US he was selling insurance door to door all over Los Angeles and still dressing immaculately and that was my experience of Los Angeles as a kid: my dad selling insurance in the suburbs.” Malek believes that right now is a great time for men who are not afraid to make a statement with their clothes and accessories. “A decade ago you wouldn’t see a guy wearing a brooch on the red carpet and now we get to enjoy things that maybe society said weren’t for us,” he says. “That’s what’s great about this period: rule breaking in mostly the right ways. I wear jewellery too. I started wearing a lot of rings lately, something that I never thought I would do. I love dressing up.” 5 of the best conversations we had with luxury brand CEOs in 2022 He adds that when he’s required to do research for period films, he is always fascinated by the elegance of people back in the day. “I love the idea of men and women getting up and putting themselves together flawlessly, making an effort, even if it’s just for something mundane,” he says. “I can’t handle people in Los Angeles going to restaurants in flip flops.” Growing up in an immigrant household in a suburb of Los Angeles, Malek was quite removed from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, in spite of its physical proximity. I would go into their closet and it was impeccable. He had more than she did, which I always found funny Malek on his parents’ sense of style He recalls: “I didn’t know Hollywood at all. For my parents it was, ‘We came here to give you an education’ and the common theme was, ‘You have the opportunity to do something special’. “I don’t know if it was the American dream or the Egyptian dream but it was a dream that’s universal and didn’t involve Hollywood whatsoever; it wasn’t an easy conversation to tell them I was going to be an actor.” Malek attributes his love for movies to his father: “I have to blame him in a way because he was a lover of cinema and he would watch everything, including Arab films.” “Egyptian music was playing in the house and [there was] probably too much cigarette smoking and I would go back to school and teachers would think I had a very bad habit (laughs). He was always a sophisticated man, and also my mom. “I would go into their closet and it was impeccable. He had more than she did, which I always found funny.” Malek recalls that once his father started doing well in business, the family would travel to Paris, and his father would reward himself with little luxuries like a Cartier lighter. “I could see the difference in his demeanour, because after coming to the US he always felt like a second-class citizen, so in a way it helped him to feel really elegant,” says Malek. “It shouldn’t be this way but it gives you confidence. If it makes you feel good, what’s wrong with that? You shouldn’t eat pancakes every day but let’s be honest: I have a croissant every day; it’s my guilty pleasure. It’s my time with a beautiful cup of coffee, a croissant, a newspaper and quiet, and everyone who knows me has to leave me alone. “That’s my me time.” As a movie star who has worked with various luxury brands, Malek is deeply aware of the importance of associating himself with the right companies, and takes this responsibility quite seriously. “Certain aspects of this new generation are interesting to me but one thing I really appreciate is that they take great appreciation of the world they’re leaving behind and it’s kids doing that,” he says. “It’s very powerful. If we can have something we treasure in our lives and can pass down, whether it’s the earth or a beautiful memory or an experience associated with a beautiful crafted piece of jewellery that you don’t throw away – it’s something that tethers one generation to another and remains constant. “It’s not only a luxury to wear but also to be associated with the brand, something elegant, timeless and cherished like the Tank watch.” Malek is very proud of the clip he shot with Ritchie and Deneuve. While he is aware that it’s mainly destined for phone screens and online consumption, he counters that, these days, some ads are as good as proper features. “I saw some beautiful adverts on the plane here,” he says. “When I’m in an art house cinema I see some incredible campaigns before the movie starts, so I’m pushing for that to happen [with this video] because this is something that deserves to be projected on a big screen, and if it doesn’t I’m going to do it myself and have screenings because it’s too cool. “I made good films in my life but I don’t see this as being anything different.” If someone tells you you’re in a Bond movie you say yes; if someone tells you you’re going to play Freddie Mercury, you say yes Malek on his choice of roles As a performer, Malek is a bit of a chameleon. His striking features – from his angular face to his big eyes – make him a great villain, as we saw in the recent James Bond movie No Time To Die , but he also transformed himself into rock ’n ’roll icon Freddie Mercury in the film that earned him an Oscar, Bohemian Rhapsody . “I love variety; there’s no recipe,” he explains. “I never know, which probably makes it difficult for my agent sometimes to say, ‘This is what he’s looking for’. “I don’t know when inspiration for something specific is going to hit but, if someone tells you you’re in a Bond movie you say yes; if someone tells you you’re going to play Freddie Mercury, you say yes; that’s not a question.” Fluent in Arabic, he does not rule out one day playing a role in the language he grew up speaking at home. “I’m finding myself gravitating more towards those stories as well. You never know what lies behind that door. With the right director, I think so,” he says. “There are great directors in that part of the world but it’s difficult to make the transition into American film or Western film from there, but I’m trying to do my best to help facilitate that.” Representation is obviously an important aspect of Malek’s career, given what he has accomplished in Hollywood as the son of immigrants, but he sees his international background also as an asset that has helped him finesse his acting. One of the best memories of his pre-Hollywood days is his first trip to Egypt as a young man, which he wants to share before the interview is over. “The first time I went to Egypt I took a four-hour train from Cairo to my father’s village and my cousin that I had never met picked me up on a motorcycle, a dirt bag that was questionable if I should get on or not,” he recalls, smiling. “He was in the traditional jalabiya and he took me immediately not to my father’s childhood home but a tailor’s shop and the tailor gave me a jalabiya that fit perfectly. I asked him, ‘How did you know’? ‘Because I took your dad’s measurements from when he was your age,’ he said. The experience of being there, seeing that culture …” While Malek has a few major projects coming up this year – including Christopher Nolan’s much-awaited Oppenheimer – he is really looking forward to his family reunion in Morocco. “We’re getting together in Marrakech this summer and people will be coming from Australia, Colombia, Cairo, Dubai, all over …” he says. “It’s a good 40 of us. We’re very family oriented.”