Before taking home the SAG Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, Malek told ET how he got his SAG card.
Rami Malek can thank Gilmore Girls for his fame.
The 37-year-old actor has a pretty great story when it comes to how he first obtained his Screen Actors Guild card. Chatting with ET's Nischelle Turner during the 2019 SAG Awards silver carpet at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Sunday, Malek shared how he kicked off his career in Hollywood.
"I was submitting myself for roles, stuffing manila envelopes with my head shot and resume to anyone who would listen," he began. "And I got a call one day from a casting director, she said, 'Can I speak with Rami Malek's agent?' And I said, 'Speaking.' She said, 'Alright, can you give me some information. Is he a part of the Screen Actors Guild?'" he recalled.
"I said, 'No not yet,'" he continued. "And she goes, 'Well, we need to talk further about this.' I said, 'Listen, this is Rami Malek and I am representing myself.' And she laughed a little bit and I said, 'We can work on getting me a SAG card. It's a few lines in the show Gilmore Girls, and you're kind of laughing right now. So I'm going to hop on the bus and be there in ten minutes, if that's cool with you. And maybe we can see how this goes.'"
The casting director was so taken by the young and eager actor that she said, "You know what? Come on in, kid." And that is how Malek got his SAG card!
These days, Malek is an Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor, as well as an Oscar-nominee. He also took home his first SAG Award at Sunday's ceremony. The actor won Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role for his role as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody.
"That's what makes these moments so celebratory for me," he admitted. "I love her and every other casting director that helped me to get here."
ET also spoke with Malek after his big win! Check out the video below to hear how "over the moon" he was after getting the coveted statute.
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