Strange Things About Rami Malek And Lucy Boynton
Bohemian Rhapsody co-stars Rami Malek and Lucy Boynton were the Hollywood "It couple" of the 2018 to 2019 awards season. Prior to his turn as the late queer icon Freddie Mercury, Malek was best known for playing hacker Elliot Alderson on USA's Mr. Robot. Since the actor's stand-out performance in the Queen biopic, he's earned himself multiple accolades ... and apparently, a girlfriend. In the movie, Boynton plays Mercury's former love interest and close friend Mary Austin. Since the age of 12, the British-American actress has boasted an impressive on-screen career of her own. After making her debut in 2006's Miss Potter, she went on to star in Murder on the Orient Express and Apostle, and has been cast in Ryan Murphy's Netflix series The Politician.
While navigating the awards show circuit, this swoon-worthy showbiz pairing managed to win over all of our hearts while keeping their blossoming romance largely under wraps. But think you know this celeb couple? Well, think again. Below are some of the stranger facts about Rami Malek and Lucy Boynton's Hollywood relationship.
Staying out of the spotlight
As evidenced by how infrequently Malek updates his Twitter and Instagram accounts, this actor has understandably struggled to reconcile his personal life with being famous. In 2018, he was described as "extremely reluctant to dish about himself" by The New York Times. While speaking with GQ Middle East, the movie star discussed how he was determined to "retain [his] own sense of anonymity and integrity to [himself]." Basically, it makes sense that Malek and the equally reserved Boynton have attempted to keep their relationship private. However, despite their best efforts, dating rumors began to surface months after these two wrapped production on Bohemian Rhapsody.
"They met while filming Bohemian Rhapsody in London," a source cited by Us Weekly claimed in April 2018. "He is so into her. He goes and visits her in London all the time." Around that time, Boynton notably referenced a birthday gift for her then-unnamed "boyfriend" on Instagram ... coincidentally not long before Malek turned 37. Still, it would be months before these two finally went public with their relationship (but more on this later).
Easing into the PDA
Apart from a handful of public sightings, Rami Malek and his girlfriend, Lucy Boynton, have kept their apparent romance as low-key as possible for months (via E! News). However, things began to heat up in October 2018, as the Bohemian Rhapsody press tour ran into endless red carpet photo ops during awards season. According to Elle, the then-rumored couple slowly (and adorably) eased into the PDA during this time through hand-holding and putting their arms around each other's waists.
However, amid the heightened media attention surrounding the nature of their relationship, Malek finally took matters into his own hands in early January 2019 and confirmed that he and Boynton were indeed an item. "Thank you, Lucy Boynton. You have been my ally, my confidant, you are my love," he said while accepting the award for breakthrough performance at the Palm Springs International Film Festival's Film Awards Gala. He added, "I appreciate you so much." Weeks later, the cute pair publicly shared a sweet hug and kiss at the SAG Awards. We can't even handle how adorable they are together.
Age is just a number
Rami Malek's youthful looks may have veiled readers from the fact that there's actually a 13-year age difference between himself and Lucy Boynton. When Malek turned 37 in May 2018, the actress herself was just 25 years old. Although we can't imagine that this age gap has ever been an issue for the pair, the same unfortunately can't be said for a handful of social media users. "How the f**k is rami malek. 13 YEARS OLDER. than lucy boynton. THEY LOOK THE SAME AGE," one person tweeted. Another fan wrote, "I just saw that people are [getting] pissed because of rami malek and lucy boynton's age difference?" Noting the couple's age gap, the same user stated, "THAT'S NOT SHOCKING. SHE'S NOT 17. OMFG."
We can't help but agree that Malek and Boynton's age gap isn't that big of a deal, especially since some of our other fave celeb couples share a rather sizable age difference themselves. Did you know, for example, that there are 15 years between talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, actress Portia de Rossi? As the old saying goes, age is just a number.
The kiss that broke the internet
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's emotional performance of "Shallow" from their movie, A Star Is Born, wasn't the only thing that had social media users in a tizzy during the 2019 Oscars. According to Access, the normally camera-shy Malek and Boynton noticeably turned up the PDA throughout the event. After Malek made history as the first actor of Egyptian descent to win the best actor award (via HuffPost), the couple shared a passionate kiss that nearly broke the internet.
"I want to be kissed by a man like rami malek kissed lucy Boynton," one fan tweeted. Meanwhile, another was genuinely shocked, writing, "Am I the only one that had no idea that #RamiMalek and #LucyBoynton were dating??? He just kissed her and I gasped so loud and so hard, I [almost choked] on my nachos."
Malek continued to melt our hearts during his acceptance speech, when he publicly thanked his lady love. "Lucy Boynton, you're the heart of this film," he said. "You are beyond immensely talented — you have captured my heart. Thank you so much."
Coordinating outfits
A couple that dresses together, stays together ... well, sort of. It's true that not even Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake could survive those matching denim ensembles. But Malek and Boynton officially took their relationship to the next level by regularly wearing matching outfits at red carpet events. Among a multitude of examples, readers may recall when both sported pale blue at the 2019 Critics' Choice Awards (via Just Jared) and later donned similar black and white ensembles at the BAFTA Awards, as noted by Elle.
While speaking with HuffPost Australia in 2016, relationship expert Dr. Nikki Goldstein shared that "sub-consciously" twinning it up is completely natural and healthy in long-term romantic relationships. During an interview with Us Weekly's Stylish, Boynton further proved that she and Malek are a perfect match by revealing that the two have never actually intentionally planned their matching outfits: "When it's looked somewhat coordinated, it's always been a bit of a shock, like, 'I don't know what that says!'" One thing the actress does know, however, is that she loves her famous boyfriend's fashion sense. "I've always really admired his style," she stated. "His stylist Ilaria Urbinati is one of my favorite people and has such great taste and is always very out there."
Malek's other on-set relationships
While it's not necessarily uncommon for celeb couples to meet on set, this surprisingly isn't the first time one of Malek's on-screen relationships has come to life. According to Vulture, the actor was previously romantically linked with Armenian-American actress Angela Sarafyan of Westworld fame. For those who don't know, these two appeared on the big screen together as a couple who hailed from an Egyptian vampire coven in — brace yourselves — Twilight: Breaking Dawn — Part 2. Yes, Rami Malek played Benjamin opposite Sarafyan's Tia in the Twilight saga. However, it should be noted that Malek and Sarafyan never actually confirmed these dating rumors (via Bustle).
Malek later sparked romance speculation once again with his longtime Mr. Robot co-star, Portia Doubleday, whom he reportedly dated for a few years. As noted by Us Weekly, these two privately called it quits on their long-term relationship in 2017. The details on Malek's romantic history are admittedly scarce, but if the rumor mill proves to be true, this A-lister certainly seems to have a thing for his co-workers.
Relationship goals
Rami Malek and Lucy Boynton had only been publicly open about their relationship for a short time when People magazine called them "the Oscars' cutest couple," and we can't help but agree. As Hollywood's latest power couple, these two are already exhibiting major relationship goals, whether they're co-starring in one of the biggest films of 2018, glamming it up on the red carpet, or gushing about one another during interviews.
While speaking with Us Weekly in January 2019, Malek said, "She's such a wildly talented human being and an inspiration." He later told Entertainment Tonight, "I got to act against one of the most talented, powerful actors I've ever got to work with and she's still on my arm." For her part, Boynton took to Instagram in the midst of Bohemian Rhapsody's awards show success to praise her man, writing, in part, "I cant articulate ... how proud I am of our relentless and fearless leader through and through, Rami."
Oh, man. We're not crying — you are!