Fresh from his Oscar-winning role as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody Rami Malek moves on to the next iconic role. That of Bond villain in No Time to Die. Gentlemen's Watch flew to New York and spoke exclusively to the 38-year-old actor.Fans and certainly obsessive fans agree: Rami Malek plays Dr No in No Time to Die. Even though they call him Safin in the official texts, it is all a trick to fool us. The looks and a few small shots in Safin's trailer hide-out  do to Dr No thinking, and something about world domination also comes along again.

To be fair, it would also be rather poetic to make Bond's first villain, Daniel Craig's last. And to give it a bit more force: Christoph Waltz turned out to be the legendary Blofeld in Spectre. And beforehand, surely he was really identified as Franz Oberhauser. Thereby, we also don't see Safin's hands in the trailers, a nod to Dr No's metal hands? When we ask Malek at New York's Crosby Street Hotel, he remains silent with a grin. "I'm only allowed to tell very little," he says.

Enough fan theories for now. No Time to Die like all Bond films, is shrouded in mists, but we do know that he has left his existence as an MI6 agent behind and is living in Jamaica. That stops when his old friend and CIA agent Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) asks him to free a kidnapped scientist. A treacherous mission -how could it be otherwise-, a mysterious bad guy Safin (Rami Malek) and a life-threatening new technology soon follow.

Just the way you like it. Besides Craig and Malek, we see the returning Léa Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes as M, Ben Whishaw as Q and Naomie Harris as Moneypenny. It is directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga (True Detective season 1, Beasts of No Nation).

Malek, son of Egyptian immigrants, grew up sheltered in Sherman Oaks (LA). His parents hoped he would study law, but it became theatre at the University of Evansville. "It hit me when I was rehearsing for a play," Malek says. "That pure feeling of excitement I had never experienced before. A safe place where you can act awkward or dangerous without anyone passing judgment on you."

Rolls followed in Gilmore Girls, The Pacific and Night at the Museum, but it was the independent hit Short Term 12 which made him famous. Not much later, there was the successful series Mr. Robot and, of course, his role as Freddie Mercury in the blockbuster Bohemian Rhapsody.

The actor continues his path to stardom with that of a villain in the latest Bond film and Daniel Craig his last, No Time to Die.

WHAT DID YOU USE AS INSPIRATION FOR SAFIN?

"One of my inspirations was Javier Bardem. In my eyes, he is one of the best actors who ever existed. His role as Silva in Skyfall was masterful, let alone No Country for Old Men. The most chilling bad guy I have ever seen on screen. And well, as actors, we sometimes borrow some tricks from each other. For this role, I mainly watched those roles of Bardem and other understated and intriguing villains. Anthony Hopkins obviously couldn't be missing from that either. Above all, it had to be unique and something you haven't seen yet in a Bond villain."

How much pressure did that give?

"Hmm, I see it more as an honour to be part of a legacy of some very talented actors trying to ruin Bond."

Not as scary as filming Live Aid on the first day of filming of Bohemian Rhapsody?

"Haha, man that was indeed the first thing we had to film. What do you mean, in one take the band-aid off!? I have never worked so hard on a scene before. Every day before that, I worked with trainers to have the moves perfect."

Have you ever doubted Bond?

"Not really, but I wanted to make sure I didn't play a religious fundamentalist. I am proud of my Egyptian heritage and choose not to play people who engage in terrorism or adhere to a certain ideology."

It seems you love pressure and don't shy away from iconic roles. Take your Oscar-winning role of Freddie Mercury, do you need that pressure?

"I honestly never thought about it that way. Now that I think about it, I seem to thrive on it very much. I have the rare opportunity to make my dream come true. Especially over the past few years, and why sell yourself short? Bond was a great challenge, especially after I got to play Freddie in Bohemian Rhapsody."

Did that give you more confidence?

"Absolutely. Playing Freddie felt like I had managed something impossible, so I could pull myself up from that often enough. Was still terrifying at times, but still. I still often have to think back to that Oscar night and how surreal it still is to have such an image. (laughs)

HAVE YOU ALWAYS HAD SUCH HIGH STANDARDS?

"I sometimes think I am too strict with myself. Those fears did help me with Elliot in Mr. Robot, but it's okay to take it down a notch sometimes. Anyway, I want to achieve something special with my work. I never want to look back on something and regret that I could have done more."

Are you done with TV?

"Television gave me the opportunity to play the roles I get to play now. The producers of Bond and Bohemian Rhapsody saw Mr. Robot and apparently thought there was a good villain AND Freddie in there. What we see on TV now is just as good as in the cinema. I definitely want to return to TV again, be it in a miniseries or even a few years if the right project comes along."

You shot 007 along with the final season of Mr. Robot. How awkward was that?

"That was very stressful, especially when I heard shortly before filming that the dates simply wouldn't work and I had to let 007 go. I was devastated by that. I then called everyone I could to shove. Sam Esmail (creator Mr. Robot ed.) and Barbara Broccoli (producere No Time to Die ed.) moved heaven and earth to allow me to act in both. That meant that every few days I was free from Mr. Robot, sat on a plane heading to Europe to film Bond. Heavy, but it was too beautiful not to make it work."

Was it a long road to the role?

"The story goes back quite far. I met Barbara (Barbara Broccoli, producer behind the Bond films, ed) when she saw my 2013 film Short Term 12. She wanted to meet with me to discuss my work. I was under no illusion that I could play Bond, but she also produces beautiful theatre, so why not drop by? A few years later, she saw Mr. Robot and we spoke again. She always said we would 'work together one day' and apparently she always had something in mind and is a woman of her word. A decision she made, by the way, before last year's Oscar ceremony, which just feels like extra confidence."

WHAT IS THE FIRST BOND FILM YOU EVER SAW?

"Dr No or Goldfinger. But Casino Royale, Daniel's first film, has also always stayed with me. Standing opposite him was legendary. Not only because I realised a childhood dream, but also because I stood opposite a very gifted actor."

How does your family feel about you being in a James Bond film now?

"It's a shock for them. I already got to play great roles, but now I'm going from one iconic role to another. While at home, they still see me as the 'Rami' they have always known. For them, it is important that I still remain that boy I was before this. The same goes for me. It's great that I get to take them on this journey."

After Bohemian Rhapsody do you read 'movie star' more often than 'actor' about yourself in articles now, does that take getting used to? "Huge! Because what is that, a star? It is difficult and bizarre, but it is also a very rewarding experience. It's a gift of life when you can actually fulfil your dream. If that comes with certain personal consequences, then I can deal with that. Or no, rather, I'm learning to deal with it better and better."

So is it mostly your privacy?

"Losing it. Though I try to keep every last bit with all my might. It's a challenge, but I also don't want to risk missing out on life. Should I stay at home because there's a chance someone might take a picture where I don't feel so comfortable or listen in on a conversation? Or should I go out or to a new exhibition and enjoy myself? I might walk a bit faster than I used to or lower my head a bit more in public, but I let it bother me as little as possible."

WHO SHOWED YOU THE FIRST BOND?

"That was my father when we sat in front of the TV with the whole family. Iconic films that almost everyone has a special connection with. It's hard to say why that is, but I think it's the mix of mystery, danger, heroism and flawed heroism. Experiences you want to experience in a cinema. With a bowl of popcorn on your lap, next to people who can't wait to see it and then those iconic notes popping through the sound system. Those are the moments when I am sure cinema will never die out. No Time to Die will be a very special one. It is the last one Daniel makes and it will be one that will have a bigger impact than you expect."

Blofeld -Christoph Waltz- turned out to be in Spectre to be the mastermind of all Bond's pain. What is Safin responsible for?

(grins) "We will have to see that in 2021. But it won't go unnoticed."

Rumour has it that the actors have filmed multiple endings and they don't know what the ending will be, is that true?

"Don't believe everything you read, I know everything. I will lose my house if I release anything, so I won't say anything else, but I know how the film ends."

You have two blockbusters on it now, has your way of choosing roles changed?

"It's cliché, but the most important thing remains the role for me and the group I make it with. I went to drama school with some really good people. People who are just as talented as me, so I realise now that it's about the opportunities you get and taking them."

And it will give you the luxury of going a bit smaller too.

"I now have the opportunity that I can afford to make an independent film. That can be very satisfying. But I am also still an actor who also finds it super to film something as monumental as Live Aid at Bohemian Rhapsody Or Safin's hideout in No Time to Die. Those are the things you dream of when you fantasise about becoming an actor as a boy."

"NO TIME TO DIE" WILL PREMIERE NEXT SPRING.

THE WATCH

Traditionally, a new watch appears with every new Bond film. This time it is this Seamaster Diver 300M 007 Edition, 42 mm in size and made of strong and lightweight Grade 2 titanium. Daniel Craig had a big say in its creation: "During our collaboration with Omega, we decided that a lightweight watch would be one of the key requirements for a man with a military background like 007. I also suggested some vintage accents and colours to give it a unique look. I think the end result is really fantastic," says Craig. It costs, how appropriate, €7,700. www.omegawatches.com