FYI, Rami Malek Was Low-Key In 'Twilight: Breaking Dawn'

Rami Malek has built a career out of playing unique characters, shooting to recognition while playing a complex cybersecurity engineer on Mr. Robot. The actor just scored a Golden Globe for his performance as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, but you probably saw one of his earliest movies without even realizing it. Break out your cringeworthy high school journals now, because Rami Malek was in Twilight: Breaking Dawn, and now I can't unsee his creepy vampire pupils or flashbacks of me stanning Robert Pattinson.

Although the 37-year-old kicked off his film career with a role in 2006's Night at the Museum and appeared in its 2009 sequel, your teenage self definitely first took notice of Malek when he played vampire Benjamin in Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 2. The phenomenon that was the Twilight franchise feels like a bit of a blur today, as it ushered in some concepts that feel ridiculously outdated in 2019. Remember when Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson were a couple IRL? What happened to Taylor Lautner's career? What's the current status of Bella Swan's home? Regardless of whether you were Team Edward or Team Jacob, people's memories of the film series are definitely a little foggy, which is why I completely blanked about Malek's character since seeing the Breaking Dawn finale in 2012.

Malek's Benjamin was a member of an Egyptian vampire coven who was capable of controlling air, fire, earth, and water. His mate Tia (Angela Sarafyan) was also a vampire in the coven, which the Cullens enlisted to help them fight against the Volturi. From what I recall, the majority of the last Twilight movie felt overcrowded, so I don't blame anyone who has totally forgotten about any vampires other than Edward's clan. There were still werewolves involved too, right?

Suggesting that he totally has the vampire quality of agelessness, Malek in Breaking Dawn looks almost exactly as he does today, and he's not the only A-list star who hit up Forks before their big break. Anna Kendrick recently admitted she forgot she was in Twilight, and seeing as there aren't too many similarities between Queen and vampires, Malek probably won't have much reason to reminisce about Benjamin during the rest of awards season. In a 2013 interview, the rising star even confessed that the franchise role wasn't his ideal part, saying:

I remember [my agent] saying Twilight and I said, 'Ummm not my cup of tea.' They said you should probably take this. I said OK and went in for the audition. When I got the job I remember getting really excited thinking it was cool. I wanted to be a part of something that was historic in a way. Now I’m really glad I did it.

Every small part leads you to your most rewarding roles, so Malek can definitely consider Twilight as part of his climb to success. In addition to winning the Globes' Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama category, he currently holds a spot in the SAG Awards' equivalent category and is considered a favorite for the final roster of Oscar nominees. It looks like former Twihards have a reason to tune into the rest of this year's award shows!