Adam Lambert says he wouldn't have accepted the role in the upcoming Freddie Mercury biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody, even if it was offered to him.
But he's a big fan of what actor Rami Malek did with the role.
Though Lambert has been fronting Queen since 2014, he told Entertainment Tonight in a recent interview that it's never been his job to imitate the band's iconic singer.
"I don't look like Freddie. I don't sound like Freddie. I sound like me," Lambert said. "Rami looks amazing. He's a great actor."
While Lambert says he wasn't involved in the film; he does have some knowledge of how it was put together based on his proximity to Queen.
"From what I understand, they used pieces of actual studio recording of Freddie and Marc Martel, who is an impersonator of Freddie Mercury, to do some of the other vocal stuff," Lambert said. "So it's really about recreating Freddie. So no, it wouldn't have been me."
Malek's research for the role brought him to several Queen shows last year, so the singer and the actor have gotten to know one another a little. While the two do different jobs, each is in the unenviable position of being compared to Freddie.
Lambert said he's seen bits of the film, and as a fan first, he appreciates Malek's portrayal of Freddie and how the film depicts some of Queen's most crucial moments of inspiration.
"What I love is the way that they show the music coming together with the band creating a song," Lambert said. "I found that really exciting having now played with [Brian May] and [Roger Taylor] for the last few years. Watching that process be recreated — I thought that was really brilliant."
Malek himself described being both overjoyed and overwhelmed at being chosen for the lead role in the film.
May and Taylor reportedly spent a lot of time with Malek, talking about their late singer, telling stories and offering observations about Freddie's character.
Queen + Adam Lambert will be spending its September in Las Vegas, performing 10 shows at the Park Theater at Park MGM, from September 1 - 22.
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