Rami Malek honours his Egyptian roots as he hosts Saturday Night Live

Rami Malek honours his Egyptian roots as he hosts Saturday Night Live
Rami Malek spoke fondly of his Egyptian roots as he hosted the hit comedy show Saturday Night Live for the first time.
2 min read
18 October, 2021
Rami Malek spoke of his Egyptian roots during his SNL appearance [Getty]

Egyptian-American actor Rami Malek paid homage to his Arab roots when he hosted US TV show Saturday Night Live for its third episode of this season.

The Oscar-winning actor touched on his acting career, which hit a new high with the release of the latest James Bond movie, No Time To Die, where he plays the lead villain.

He also spoke warmly about his family and joked that his twin brother might replace him in one of the sketches on the national comedy show.

"Both of my siblings are here and I am so proud of them. My brother's a teacher, my sister's an ER doctor. They've devoted their lives to helping others… but I have an Oscar," he said as he announced his siblings' presence in the audience.

Malek joked about being continuously cast as a villain in films, saying that he prefers playing such roles and that his face suits them.

"People tell me I have what's called resting villain face," he bantered before staring at the audience.

"Villains are misunderstood. Jaws is hungry, Dracula's thirsty," he said. "Darth Vader, he's just trying to reconnect with his son... it's nice to see villains finally getting respect. Disney's even made movies where the villain's name is in the title. You've got Cruella, Maleficent, Bambi."

He went on to participate in a number of sketches, including a celebrity high-school sketch, a bug assembly and a "Prince-off" with Kenan Thompson in which they competed for the part of singing legend Prince at an audition.

Thompson is most famous for starring in 90s Nickelodeon global hit Kenan and Kel.