Rami Malek is happy to have pictures taken with fans. Video? Not so much.
Earlier this week, a video began to circulate on Twitter of the Mr Robot star being approached by a fan in New York.
After film student Xan Black asked ‘Can you say Hi to my friends?’, he replied, quick as a flash, ‘No, but we can take a picture’.
As Ms. Black concurs, it’s a pretty embarrassing moment, and thus far it’s been retweeted nearly 30,000 times, which is why it ended up under the nose of Malek’s publicist.
Speaking to Vanity Fair, Malek has decided to head this off at the pass, while the debate online rages over whether he should have just said ‘Hi’ and be done with it, or whether it was better to offer a polite, but decisive, ‘No’.
“[My publicist] said, ‘There’s something I should make you aware of that’s getting a little bit of attention on the Internet,’” Malek told the magazine.
“I am happy to take photos with anyone. I just want to be aware of what people are doing in the moment. When someone films you automatically, it’s a bit intrusive.
“People will pull you into their cameras, and sometimes you can watch them Instagram [that photo] within two seconds.
“I can’t quite wrap my head around [it]. Something about it is not right and a bit unsettling.
Malek is currently busy doing the publicity rounds for his latest role, playing Freddie Mercury in the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.