Oscar winner Rami Malken once demanded Rachel Bilson remove a photo of them as kids from Instagram. Photo / Getty Images
Oscar winner Rami Malken once demanded Rachel Bilson remove a photo of them as kids from Instagram. Photo / Getty Images
High school friends Rami Malek and Rachel Bilson once had an awkward run-in over a throwback photo, The OC actress revealed this week.
Speaking on Dax Shepard and Monica Padman's Armchair Expert podcast, Bilson, 39, opened up about receiving a blunt message from the soon-to-be Oscar winner after posting a photo of them as teens.
In 2019, Bilson shared a snap of herself and Malek, also 39, during a school trip to New York City. Malek wasn't pleased and promptly asked her to delete the post.
"Hey @ramimalek where'd you get that gold chain? #tbt #oscarworthy #dontforgetthelittlepeople," Bilson had teased of his adorable 90s look.
The offending photo of Rachel Bilson and Rami Malek on a school trip to New York. Photo / Supplied
Recalling their friendship, Bilson said on the podcast: "Rami was a good friend of mine.
"We were (in) the same crew. We did The Crucible together senior year, we were the leads in it together — all these things."
At the time of her 2019 post, Malek had was sweeping the awards circuit including the SAG Awards and Golden Globes for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, and was up for an Oscar, which he went on to win. Bilson said she wanted to celebrate his success with a cheeky message.
"Obviously, he gets super famous and he's always been extremely talented … even in high school," she continued.
"I had posted a throwback of us from our senior trip to New York. We're super nerdy … just the dorkiest picture of the both of us. But I throw it up, 'cause it's funny and I think it's so important to be able to make fun of yourself."
But the innocent throwback didn't have the desired outcome, with Malek contacting her soon after.
She continued: "I don't usually check my DMs on my Instagram … maybe a week goes by and I actually look and I have a message from Rami. But it wasn't like, 'Hey! How are you?!' It was straight to, 'I would really appreciate if you take that down. I'm a really private person,'" Bilson recalled.
"I was like, 'Oh, ****! Okay.' I get really hot and start sweating," she added.
"I'm all nervous, like, 'Oh God! What did I do?' He was a really good friend, it's a funny picture … you know? I don't take myself that seriously."
Malek attended Notre Dame High School with Bilson. Photo / Getty Images
According to Bilson, she later found out the Mr. Robot star simply "didn't like the picture of himself".
"I'm friends with his stylist and she was like, 'Well it's not a great picture of him,'" Bilson said.
Another famous pal, creator of The OC Josh Schwartz, agreed that the Hart of Dixie star had "done him dirty."
"It was right before the Oscars and I remember Josh Schwartz being like, 'You did him dirty. He's about to be nominated'.
"I was like, I guess I should've found something more flattering," the actress recalled thinking.
"But I removed it and I even wrote to him a really nice message: 'I'm so sorry. Go get the Oscar! You're doing amazing.' And I never hear anything back, which is fine. But I was super bummed because he was always so nice and we were good friends."
