Rami Malek thought Robert Downey Jr.'s emails were a prank

Now, I don’t know how the world of celebrity works, I just assume they all have one big (super secret) yellow pages in which they keep all their numbers and email addresses. However, I’ll accept that this may not be the case.

Clearly, Rami Malek was not given a copy of this book because he had a hard time believing an email from a certain celeb was legit. Robert Downey Jr. contacted The Bohemian Rhapsody star regarding a role in his upcoming (now released) film, Dolittle, via email which left Malek feeling a little suspicious of its authenticity.

During an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, on which Downey, Jr. served as guest host, the pair discussed their “weird” introduction.

“I was such a fan of Mr. Robot, I basically emailed you, and I was serial texting you and I was trying to FaceTime you and you didn’t let me weird you out, and now we’re friends,” Downey, Jr. said.

“I couldn’t even believe it was you,” Malek revealed. “For a second, I got the email from Robert and I thought, ‘Okay, somebody’s playing tricks on me.’ And then they kept coming and they were so witty…”

“It got to the point where I thought it could be no one else but you,” Malek explained.

He then continued to explain how he decided to accept the role, which, apparently, didn’t take very long. “Of course, this usually goes through a number of agents and whatnot, but when RDJ calls you, it’s like, ‘Yeah, sure, I’ll come do it.'”

Malek then paid a heartwarming tribute to RDJ, “I have a big crush on you,” he said. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for film and cinema. All of these roles from Chaplin to Dolittle now, Iron Man. Everything that you’ve done has not only been something that we as actors look up to and admire, but you have taken so many of us under your wing and I am so appreciative.”