Photo: getty images
Rachel Bilsonis opening up about a trip down memory lane that didn’t exactly go as planned.
While appearing on a recent episode ofDax Shepardand Monica Padman’sArmchair Expertpodcast, the 39-year-old actress recalled a time whenRami Malekasked her to delete an old photo of the two from high school she had posted on Instagram.
Back in 2019, Bilson shared athrowback snapof herself and Malek, also 39, as teenagers in New York City.
“Hey @ramimalek where’d you get that gold chain?” she captioned the post at the time, poking fun of the star and his past ’90s fashion look.
Bilson also added the hashtags “#tbt” “#oscarworthy” and “#dontforgetthelittlepeople” to her post as well.
Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images; Dominique Charriau/WireImage
Noting during her conversation that she and Malek both attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California, Bilson explained that the pair had a past friendship.
“Rami was a good friend of mine. “We were [in] the same crew,” she said during the podcast. “We didThe Crucibletogether senior year, we were the leads in it together — all these things. We kind of kept in contact a little bit.”
So when Malek began to gain recognition during the 2019 awards season for his role asFreddie MercuryinBohemian Rhapsody, Bilson thought it would be fun to share the throwback photo on social media.
“So obviously, he gets super famous and he’s always been extremely talented, a really amazing actor, even in high school,” she explained. “I had posted a throwback of us from our senior trip to New York, Broadway. We’re super nerdy, [it was] 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 after sharing the photo, Bilson said that Malek reached out to her directly in regards to the snap she shared.
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The response, Bilson said, caught her off guard and caused her to panic.
“I was like, ‘Oh, s—! OK.’ I get really hot and start sweating,” she said. “I’m all nervous, like, ‘Oh god! What did I do?’ He was a good friend, it’s a funny picture, you know? I don’t take myself that seriously.”
“I’m friends with his stylist and she was like, ‘Well it’s not a great picture of him,'” Bilson continued, before she shared another interaction she had withThe O.C.creator about the photo. “It was right beforethe Oscarsand 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 added. “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.”
A rep for Malek did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
source: people.com
