Rami Malek, making his Saturday Night Live hosting debut in a Young Thug-assisted Season 47 episode, didn’t disappoint in his opening monologue.
Preceded by an NFL-focused cold open, the monologue saw the No Time to Die star kicking off the festivities with an acknowledgement of his “resting villain face.” From there, Malek ran through a list of famous screen villains with whom he empathizes.
Elsewhere, Malek shouted out his twin brother and reminded viewers of the Oscar he bagged for portraying the late Freddie Mercury.
As consistent SNL watchers will note, the Oscar and Emmy-winning actor previously made a number of not-quite-appearances on the long-running sketch show by way of a Pete Davidson impression. First, back in 2016, the King of Staten Island writer and star gave his take on Malek’s Mr. Robotcharacter Elliot Alderson. Davidson has also portrayed Malek himself, including in a sketch centered on a number of actors auditioning to be the next host of the Academy Awards.
No Time to Die, which finally dropped this month after a marathon of pandemic delays, sees Malek going the Bond villain route as the SPECTRE-targeting Lyutsifer Safin. At the top of this year, Malek starred alongside fellow Oscar winners Denzel Washington and Jared Leto in John Lee Hancock’s The Little Things, which enjoyed a day-and-date release in theaters and on HBO Max.
Next up, Malek will be joined by Zoe Saldana in an as-yet-untitled new project from Silver Linings Playbook and Joy director David O. Russell.
Catch Rami Malek’s SNL opening monologue in full up top. And for the evening’s Travis Barker-assisted Young Thug performances, stay tuned.
