Why Safin From No Time To Die Looks So Familiar

Daniel Craig's final outing as James Bond in "No Time To Die" is finally here after numerous delays, thanks to the ongoing pandemic, and it's definitely worth the wait. His latest mission sees him go up against the mysterious Lyutsifer Safin — who may as well be called Lucifer Satan with a name like that. He's a formidable villain with a plan to unleash an unstoppable weapon on the world. Luckily, Bond is pulled out of retirement in Jamaica to deal with him. From there, it's a riveting adventure that has struck a chord with audiences around the world. It currently has an 84% critical rating and a 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Clearly, Bond's last adventure isn't to be missed. The film also boasts an impressive cast, with Naomie Harris as Miss Moneypenny, Ben Whishaw as Q, Ana de Armas as Paloma, Lea Seydoux as Madeleine Swann, and Lashana Lynch as Nomi, who has assumed the 007 identity in the wake of Bond's retirement. But Academy Award-winner Rami Malek is on villain duty as Safin in "No Time To Die," and here's why he looks so familiar.

Rami Malek got his first role in The WB's "Gilmore Girls" Season 4, as one of Lane's classmates, Andy. His scene revolves around the group trying to pick a motivational leader to interview, and Malek's Andy thinks interviewing Assistant Pastor Eric is a great idea. It's a short scene, but because the star wasn't a member of the Screen Actors Guild, he had to pay a fine. "I think Warner Bros. had to pay the fine for me," Malek told Glamour. "I [then had to] pay a fee, which took me a very long time to do. I think it was $2,000, and it took me forever to pay that off."

But his brief appearance in "Gilmore Girls" spurred the actor on, because he proved he could land roles, saying "It was an opportunity that gave me a stepping stone to get that next job." He also added that booking "Gilmore Girls," "let me feel like this career was not insurmountable."

Many fans will remember Rami Malek from his recurring role in Ben Stiller's "Night at the Museum" franchise, where he played the Mummy of Akmenrah. He's a Pharaoh who owns the tablet which animates all the exhibits after dark. It's a fun role for the star, but it still allowed him to prove his potential to shine in blockbusters. He later transformed into a vampire for 2012's "The Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 2."

In the final "Twilight" installment, he plays Benjamin, a member of the Egyptian coven who helps the Cullen family defend themselves against the Volturi, the ruthless leaders of the vampire world. Benjamin has the ability to control the elements around him, making him one of the Cullens' most formidable fighters. Although he's loyal to Amun (Omar Metwally) and his coven, Benjamin isn't afraid to fight for what he believes in, even if it goes against his creator's wishes to stay away from conflict with the Voluturi.

One of Rami Malek's best performances came in USA Network's "Mr. Robot" as the series lead Elliot Alderson — a cyber-security expert by day, and a revolutionary hacker by night. Elliot starts the series as something of a vigilante as he uses his hacking skills to out pedophiles and hand them over to the police. But he quickly becomes embroiled in a plot to overthrow a large technology conglomerate known only as E-Corp, (or "Evil Corp" as Elliot calls it). His sanity quickly deteriorates because of his personal vendetta against the company, but to say any more would be to ruin the brilliance of the series.

Malek's performance in the series won him an Emmy in 2016. While it was consistently underrated in terms of garnering other major awards, the show has a 94% critical rating and a 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. If you want to see what Malek is really capable of, take a chance on "Mr. Robot." The show ended in 2019 and is available to stream in its entirety on Amazon Prime Video. 

Rami Malek's most famous role so far — aside from fighting Bond in "No Time To Die" — is his performance in "Bohemian Rhapsody" as Queen frontman, Freddie Mercury. The 2018 film shows how the group got started and follows Queen's career right up until the legendary 1985 Live Aid concert. Malek won the Academy Award for best actor in 2019 for his leading role, which is impressive since he was up against the likes of Bradley Cooper for "A Star Is Born," Christian Bale for "Vice," Viggo Mortensen for "Green Book," and Willem Dafoe for "At Eternity's Gate."

The film made the headlines back in 2017 as director Bryan Singer was fired after reportedly clashing with both the cast and crew on numerous occasions (via The Hollywood Reporter). British director Dexter Fletcher was hired to complete production and is credited as an executive producer on the film. There was some controversy over Malek's Oscar win, as he did not really sing in the film (unlike Cooper in "A Star is Born"); his vocals were mixed with others. The film was also criticized for shying away from Mercury's homosexuality. But overall, few could argue that Malek didn't give the role his all, indicating that his career as a household name was only just beginning. 

"No Time to Die" is currently in theaters worldwide.