Image Credit: Michael Buckner/Getty ImagesAs we reported yesterday, Rami Malek (The Pacific‘s Snafu and Night at the Museum‘s Ahkmenrah) has joined Breaking Dawn as Benjamin, a member of the Egyptian coven who stands by the Cullens when they face the Volturi. In the book, he’s described as “an oddly cheerful vampire who looked barely older than a boy and seemed both utterly confident and utterly careless at the same time.” He has a gift so singular — the ability to physically manipulate the elements (earth, wind, water, and fire) — that it’s been hidden from Aro. Edward likes Benjamin because he has a very clear sense of wrong and right.
Do you approve of the casting? After watching Malek’s post-Emmy interview with ET‘s Kate Gosselin (below), I do. He handles himself well, with proper reverence for the event (even if he is talking to Gosselin), but is totally game for Kate’s quiz (he has a crush on Modern Family‘s Sofia Vergara and follows his Pacific boss Tom Hanks, who also cast him in the upcoming feature Larry Crowne, on Twitter). Watch him a few clips below (including one from the Fox sitcom The War at Home in which he goes on a date with Twilight‘s Jackson Rathbone), then weigh in…
In the Emmy-winning miniseries The Pacific
In The War at Home, with Jackson Rathbone
In his TV debut, Gilmore Girls
I’m like a schoolgirl I’m so excited. I’m such a fan of him. Now of course I’m going to have to figure out how to do something i’ve been trying for 2 years to do: finish Breaking Dawn
Loved him in The War at Home, and he was so good in The Pacific. He should be great as Benjamin.
He was adorable in the war at home!
Wow, Benjamin’s character played such a small part in the book, why is this a big deal? I’m all for excessive Twilight news, buuuut…
(oh, and don’t get me started on whether he’s crushworthy)
They did this for the last movie too. I remember a big deal being made over who was playing Heidi. I kept wondering…are they increasing her role for New Moon. Then…nope…she was in about 5 seconds. At least Benjamin is bigger than that.
Yeah, but look what they did with Eclipse. They definitely branched out from what was in the book (re: Volturi’s involvement with the newborns, etc.) And, yes…very crushworthy.
Really?!? Crushworthy? Well, to each her own.
I’ll be more excited for a casting announcement for Tanya, but everyone else is just filler (yup, like Heidi).
Anyone heard an Eclipse DVD release date yet?
I’m hearing that it should be around Christmas (at least in the UK). And yes, he’s crushworthy, not Robert Pattinson crushworthy, but still very cute.
I read November 30
I heard Halloween. Christmas is way too far away for me.
And I am interested in Tanya. Bella’s only real rival in the series.
Maybe this is a setup for a companion novel, a la Bree Tanner. Lord knows the other covens are far more interesting than the Cullens. And Meyers gotta stay on the best-sellers chart somehow.
Maybe so, there’s definitely potential outside of Forks – BUT after that boring mess of a Bree Tanner novella, I’m leery of any spin-offs.
I was THRILLED to see so much more of Riley in the Eclipse movie – his character, history, and dynamic with Victoria was interesting to me. And he was hot.
Breaking Dawn is a hot mess of a book. Anything they can do with the movie (i.e., expanding the story lines of minor characters) can only help with the film adaptation.
Completely agree with you Nan. They can only improve on it. I don’t see how it’d be possible to make it worse. Of the 4 (and a half) books Eclipse was definately my favorite. Breaking Dawn the least.
Yeah, but we thought the same thing about Riley and look what happened. There’s no telling what MR has done to the book.
I just got over strep throat and while I was sick I watched like 72 hours of The Pacific in a row. That guy is so creepy. I can’t tell if he’s just a phenomenal actor or if he’s that twitchy in real life. Also, that towhead from Jurassic Park is all growed up!
He also played a very creepy character on “24″.
yea he was the suicide bomber no?
I have read that he is really not like Snafu at all in real life.
Loved him in The Pacific. So happy that he’s doing well.
Yea i also apreciated his role as Snafu. He portryaed him well i thought..
As little as they’ve used the secondary characters in the movies so far, I can’t get uber-geeked about casting news anymore, but good for him.
I’m a fan of Rami Malek, but I won’t go see this one. I’m not into the Twilight series at all. But I do think he’s extremely handsome, and just from how they described the character sounds fitting for Rami. I wish him nothing but the best of luck. I’ll always love him as Ahkmenrah. I just thought he was utterly adorable. He is one sexy man.
*Sexy* agreed!
Me too totally agree
I thought this said “Breaking Bad” I was excited cause he was awesome in the Pacific. Then I saw it was for Twilight and I no longer care
I liked it when he blew himself up on 24 last season
Loved him in The Pacific and wish him well. Breaking Dawn is IMHO the worst book out of the 4, so not so sure about going to see the movie(s).
The guy is not attractive at all, he did show acting range in the pacific though.
I had to double check, but he was also in Night at the Museum as the Egyptian king, so this makes sense to me
He looks like an insect….
I completely forgot The War at Home existed until just now…wasn’t he the gay friend?
I’d never heard of it, so I watched the clip above and can confirm that he is the “gay friend”…but it was really hard to watch, terrible acting on his part along with a terrible script (Jackson Rathbone, however, was decent). I hope that wasn’t representative of his talents and he was either young or just having a bad day. Yikes.
i think he has the face of a vampire. that was a great clip of the war at home. and i was always wondering what happened to the creepy kid from gilmore girls. good to know