Rami Malek is no stranger to standing out, but he recently recounted an experience that highlighted the challenges of his ethnicity when he faced alleged racial profiling by the Los Angeles police.

In a recent interview with The Guardian, the Oscar-winning actor of Egyptian heritage discussed an incident where he was reportedly misidentified by the LAPD as a robbery suspect. Malek, 43, recalled being approached by police after a robbery, although he didn’t provide specific details regarding the time or location of the incident.

“I was thrown onto the hood of a police car because someone had just robbed a liquor store and taken a woman’s purse. The officers claimed the suspect was of Latin descent and said, ‘You fit the description,'” Malek shared.

He went on to describe the experience: “I could feel how hot the engine was — they must have rushed there, and it felt like it was burning my hands. My friend, who is Caucasian, had the presence of mind to say, ‘Actually, sir, he’s Egyptian. He’s not Latin.’ I remember laughing while on the police car, thinking, ‘Wow, this is a really risky situation. I could end up in jail for something I didn’t do.'”

YSL News has contacted Malek’s representatives and the LAPD for further comments.

During his interview, Malek also reflected on his mixed feelings about race while growing up in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, with immigrant parents.

“There was definitely a sense of.  I wouldn’t say I alienated myself from parts of the culture, but I certainly didn’t fully accept them,” Malek explained about his experience living in the U.S. “I don’t know how to fully overcome that. I’m considered ‘white passing,’ yet I have very distinctive features, and we clearly didn’t blend in.”

Malek humorously acknowledged the constant attention his Egyptian heritage garnered at airport security during his travels: “I often found myself thinking, ‘What’s going on?’ each time I tried to enter a new country. Nowadays, there might be some hesitation, but then they’d recognize me and say, ‘Oh, that’s the guy from ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’ Let him through.'”

He is not alone in sharing experiences of racial profiling. In December 2023, actress and singer Fantasia Barrino took to social media to reveal that she and her family had experienced profiling by an Airbnb host who asked them to leave their rental property.