“Who Would Want to See That Film?”: The Actor Who Lost the Freddie Mercury Role After Falling Out With Queen
Sacha Baron Cohen was once in line to play Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, but split from the project after clashes with Queen over a grittier portrayal and a storyline that would have placed Mercury’s death mid-film. The 2018 biopic went ahead with Rami Malek, whose performance earned an Oscar.
Before Rami Malek lifted an Oscar for channeling Freddie Mercury, a very different film was taking shape behind closed doors. Sacha Baron Cohen pushed for a raw portrait that delved into Mercury’s private life, a path Queen’s members resisted as they steered the story toward the music. The standoff grew into a rupture, with Brian May calling Cohen potentially disturbing and Roger Taylor unimpressed by his recent work. Hollywood’s most tantalizing what-if gave way to the version that ultimately hit screens in 2018, now living on via Disney+ and HBO Max.
A casting decision that shook the music biopic world
Some movie what-ifs never quite leave you. The 2018 film Bohemian Rhapsody reignited the voice, swagger and vulnerability of Freddie Mercury for a new generation. Yet for years, the part seemed destined for Sacha Baron Cohen, whose chameleon streak made him a bold fit. The role ultimately went to Rami Malek, who won the industry’s top honor. What knocked Cohen off that path?
Creative clashes behind the scenes
Cohen was attached early, pushing for a story that didn’t flinch from Mercury’s private life. In interviews (including on The Howard Stern Show), he described a version that leaned into messier truths and even placed Mercury’s death at the midpoint, with the band carrying on afterward. Queen’s remaining members favored a celebratory arc centered on the music and Mercury’s legacy. Those visions never reconciled.
Brian May and Roger Taylor weigh in
Personality, not just plot, fueled the break. Guitarist Brian May was said to view Cohen as a potentially awkward fit for the ensemble’s tone, while drummer Roger Taylor publicly questioned the actor’s recent dramatic form. Cohen, for his part, bristled at that take and argued for a tougher portrait of Mercury. The stalemate held, and he stepped away from the project.
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY would have been a VERY different movie with Sasha Baron Cohen as Freddy Mercury. pic.twitter.com/0qQ1SjCDMv
— CINETRON (@CINETRONN) November 21, 2023
Rami Malek’s star turn as Freddie Mercury
With Cohen out, Malek took the mic, and Bryan Singer served as director of record. The film opened in the United States on November 2, 2018, racing to a global box office above $900 million. Malek’s physical precision and emotional reach anchored the Live Aid finale and reframed familiar hits. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor, validating a performance that threaded spectacle with ache.
What could have been?
A Cohen-led cut might have played edgier, more jagged at the edges, perhaps less rousing and more confrontational. Instead, Queen’s stewardship delivered an uplifting crowd-pleaser that still found room for grace notes of doubt and longing. For US viewers, Bohemian Rhapsody is currently available to rent or stream on major platforms, a reminder that the film we got, and the one we didn’t, both shaped its legend.
