NEW YORK — Rami Malek says he identified with the immigrant side of Freddie Mercury while tackling the role of the legendary Queen frontman.

The first-generation American spoke about his starring role at the New York premiere of “Bohemian Rhapsody” on Tuesday. The “Mr. Robot” star connected with Mercury’s outsider passion for success.

“I set out to be an actor some, I don’t know, over a decade ago. I think something was possibly burning inside the both of us. We had aspirations to live our dream. And I’m getting a chance to do that right now in this very moment,” Malek said.

While many aspects defined Mercury, including being one of the best vocalists to front a rock band, his flamboyant presence and a penchant for taking chances, Malek felt like he had to dig deeper to find the beating heart of the Tanzania-born Mercury, who arrived in London at 18.

“In some way he became the Freddie Mercury superstar that overcame every obstacle imaginable,” Malek said. “My family is from Egypt. I’m a first-generation American. And somehow I thought there were strings that I could tether together with him.”

– From news service reports