The Truth About Rami Malek's Girlfriend

If Lucy Boynton wasn't on everyone's radar for her stunning performance as Mary Austin in Bohemian Rhapsody, she certainly is after being spotted at Rami Malek's side at the 2019 Academy Awards ceremony. The blonde bombshell positively glowed throughout the entire event, especially as Malek accepted the award for Best Actor for his unbelievable performance as the late Queen front man Freddie Mercury, and she smothered him in kisses. (Who didn't get chills watching him completely inhabit the late singer?) 

But Boynton is so much more than just a pretty face, or just the girlfriend of a gifted Hollywood actor. In fact, she has an impressive career as an actress that goes back quite a long time, given that she started in the business as a child. So what does Boynton's resume look like? How did she get her start on the silver screen? What kind of roles does she like to play? Here's everything we dug up about Lucy Boynton, the gorgeous girlfriend of Rami Malek.

Although Boynton seems to ooze Britishness, she wasn't actually born in the land of Harry Potter, Big Ben, and high tea. Rather, her origin story starts thousands of miles away, across the Atlantic Ocean in the Big Apple. "I was born in New York and moved to London with my family when I was five," she shared in an interview with Interview magazine. And when she was little, she dreamed not of acting, but working in an animal shelter. Girl must have had a big love for cats and dogs!

Listening to Boynton speak in interviews, you can't miss her lilting and endearing British accent. But, of course, she didn't have that from the get-go. "I did have an American accent for a couple of months and then it went away," she continued, referring to her move to London. She and her sister used to tease each other about their accents, too. Adorable!

It didn't take very long for Boynton to decide she wanted to become an actress; she know from the start she was destined for it, and so did the people around her. Her mother penned in a touching tribute in The Telegraph in 2006, writing: "This time last year, my then 11-year-old younger daughter, Lucy, and I were discussing the future. 'I want to be an actress when I grow up,' she said." And she wasn't surprised at all, given that Boynton had just starred in a school production of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. There's nothing quite like that theater high!

According to her mother, Boynton amended her statement shortly thereafter, declaring that she didn't want to wait until she was grown to act professionally. Instead, she was ready to get started ASAP, before she was even a teenager. Then just a few weeks later, she landed her first major audition — clearly she was serious about following her dreams, and luck was on her side.

Boynton's first big break was a pretty big deal: she landed the role of young Beatrix Potter in Miss Potter, which also starred Renée Zellweger, Ewan McGregor, and Emily Watson. So it's no wonder she took the role very seriously. "It was very intimidating but an utterly thrilling experience," she revealed in an interview with Crash magazine. "I had grown up reading Beatrix Potter books so I was well aware of the reputation and the remarkable human I was portraying, so I felt pressure, of course, to do her justice." Can you imagine your first job being so intense?

Reflecting back on her time on set, Boynton has nothing but good things to say about it. "It was the most magical experience, and Chris Noonan was the kindest most nurturing leader," she continued. "I feel incredibly lucky to have had that be my introduction to this industry." She really nailed the part, too, and held her own among some serious acting heavyweights. 

Boynton might be the epitome of fair, with her pale skin, blonde hair, and green eyes. But when it comes to acting, she embraces the proverbial dark side in her work. "There's something dark in actors," she confessed in an interview with The Beautiful Mind Series. "To be able to be so transient in identity there has to be a certain amount of yourself that is — empty is the wrong word — open. You have to be an open wound." That's a pretty intense approach, but clearly it works for her.

So even though Boynton has played some upbeat and sunny roles in her films, she tends to gravitate toward material that's on the heavier side. "I love the darker material because it is an extreme that I don't experience in my own life," she continued. "It quenches some kind of absence in me." In that way, she can have a variety of emotional experiences that she otherwise might not have.

On the heels of her success in Miss Potter, Boynton next snagged a role in the television movie Ballet Shoes alongside Emma Watson and Yasmin Page. The experience turned out to be freeing for her, too. "I was fourteen and it was the first time I was trusted with so much material," she recalled in an interview with The Last Magazine. "It gave me perspective into who I wanted to be." And while the film affirmed her identity, she's almost unrecognizable as a teenage redhead.

The young actresses were afforded a lot of agency, something Boynton really appreciated. "There was so much trust in us and we had full ownership of our characters. I had never really had that before," she continued. "You really are able to bring more ideas to the table and make bolder choices and more decisions for yourself in a way." It's awesome that the film helped her develop so much, and at such an early age.

Boynton later snagged roles in a variety of films and shows, like Sense & Sensibility, Copperhead, and The Blackcoat's Daughter. She was on her way up, and nothing was stopping her.

2016 was a banner year for Boynton, as she appeared in a whopping five different films, including the horror films Don't Knock Twice and I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, as well as the romantic comedy Sing Street. Then in 2017, she stunned in the J.D. Salinger biopic Rebel in the Rye as his wife, which provided her with some new challenges. "I've always been a great admirer of Salinger's work, but in reading the script and starting my research for the role I realized how little I knew of him, and how little is publicly known," she explained in an interview with Crash magazine. So there was a lot for her to piece together.

Since not a lot was known about Salinger, by extension not a lot was known about Claire Douglas, his wife. That meant Boynton really had her work cut out for her. "So I gathered information from the various biographies written on him and then discussed with Danny Strong and Nick Hoult how best to fill in the blanks and bring their relationship to life," she continued.

Rebel in the Rye wasn't the only major project Boynton took on in 2017. She also starred in the film Let Me Go, the Netflix series Gypsy with Naomi Watts, and topped it off with the star-studded Murder on the Orient Express. Talk about a jam-packed schedule. When does she sleep?

Working on Murder on the Orient Express was a particularly memorable experience, according to Boynton. "To look across the room at people whose work I've grown up watching and admiring was a very surreal, and intimidating, experience," she shared in an interview with Crash magazine. You know everyone brought their A-game to that set!

Additionally, for Boynton, working with director Kenneth Branagh, who she calls "a master of his art," was deeply satisfying. "I love that he has ensured the film honors everything one cherishes about Agatha Christie's work, while also exploring the characters in more depth," she continued. "Christie's work is rather dark and I believe he's really embraced and explored that to a new and greater extent."

If you've ever seen how Boynton slays it on the red carpet, you won't be surprised to learn that she's a fashion connoisseur with a few specific inspirations. Given how effortlessly she pulls off wearing designers like Chanel, Valentino, and Gucci (just to name just a few), you know she's done her style homework.

For one, Boynton cites her personal stylist as her primary inspo. "Leith Clark, who styles me, is my eternal inspiration, as well as her 4-year-old daughter who has the most covetabley kooky/vintage wardrobe," she revealed in an interview with Contents magazine. That's a seriously sophisticated selection, as Clark's work is the bomb.

Boynton also notes that she very often draws fashion inspiration from the roles she plays in movies, or from movies themselves, like Rosemary's Baby. "I'll get experimental and explore different styles and versions of myself, but I always come back to those Peter Pan collars and little vintage babydoll dresses," she continued. We are 100 percent here for that aesthetic!

It's definitely not every day that a role like Mary Austin, Freddie Mercury's ex-girlfriend, friend, partner, and muse, in the phenomenal film Bohemian Rhapsody comes along. But when the opportunity knocked, Boynton broke down the door and ran with it. In fact, she didn't even have to formally audition — the role was hers from the outset. "There is something daunting about getting a role you didn't formally audition for, another weight of needing to prove yourself," she confessed in an interview with The Last Magazine. Talk about humble! She was obviously born to play this part, and made it look effortless.

Boynton worked to honor the character, both in the film and in real life, as Mary Austin is known to be a private person. "My main focus was to find a balance between telling it as accurately as possible according to her interviews and talking to Brian [May] and reading the script, but also trying to respect her privacy now and those boundaries she has," she continued. The verdict is in: there's just no question that she was the right woman for the job.

Just as Boynton was the right woman to play Austin, so too was Malek the right man — really, the only man — to take on a role as daunting as Freddie Mercury. And as he tells it, he couldn't have done it without his fellow cast members, who supported him throughout the entire process. "It was so difficult and daunting portraying this character and I had their help every single moment of it and it has bonded us and galvanized us like no other," he mused in an interview with Us Weekly. "So, it's truly a family." That is absolutely wholesome. 

Perhaps the spirit of Freddie Mercury really was in the building, as Malek didn't deviate from his character when the cameras weren't rolling. "Rami stayed very close to the character all day while we were filming," Boynton shared in an interview with The Last Magazine. "So the set was very much led by electric Mercury energy." Well, with vibes like that around, no wonder everyone got so close!

We know now that watching Boynton and Malek on screen wasn't just incredible casting at work, or the just best acting ever. Given that the pair are a confirmed and #goals Hollywood couple, that chemistry is legit the real deal — and it shows. "I think you'll really see that in Bohemian Rhapsody," she shared in an interview with The Beautiful Mind Series. "Everyone got so close so quickly on that film, which meant we could be much more instinctive as actors." We suspect she's including the sparks between her and Malek in that statement, too.

Malek isn't shy about shouting his love for Boynton from the rooftops, either. In fact, he did just that during his acceptance speech for Best Actor at the 2019 Academy Awards ceremony. "Lucy Boynton, you're the heart of this film," he said from the stage. "You are beyond immensely talented, you have captured my heart. Thank you so much." And that was after he smooched her repeatedly after his name was announced. Swoon! 

After being in a movie like Bohemian Rhapsody, which won the Golden Globe award for Best Picture – Drama and cleaned up at the box office, how do you follow that up? For Boynton, that turned out to be playing an American in a Netflix series alongside a pretty big name in the business. "I'm far too intimidated by and in awe of the Ryan Murphy empire to give anything away! I will tell you that it's called The Politician, and I will indeed be playing an American," she explained in an interview with Contents magazine. Sounds like this is going to be good, even with just that little bit of info. Perhaps she'll be able to draw from her early years growing up in New York to ensure a perfect American accent.

So what can she share about the project? "I can tell you the scripts are bloody brilliant and this character could not be more different to anyone I've played before, which has been so much fun," she continued. That will definitely be a show to watch.

Boynton may be a world traveler thanks to the nature of her work, but when it comes to where she hangs her hat? There's only one place. "The UK... no hesitation," she revealed in an interview with Contents magazine. You can take the girl out of London, but you can't take the London out of the girl.

And if you thought it might be possible for Boynton to be swayed by the bright lights of the Big Apple or the warm weather of So Cal, think again. "I feel incredibly lucky to be able to travel as much as my work takes me, and I've loved the time I've spent in both New York and Los Angeles," she continued, "But the core reason I can enjoy that traveling is knowing I have a solid base at home, and home will always be London." Sounds like Malek will either need to relocate, or he'll be racking up the frequent flyer miles for the foreseeable future. 

As gifted of an actress Boynton is, she has other aspirations for the future, thanks in part to her upbringing and family. "Both of my parents are writers, so that side of creativity is something I've always been around and have enjoyed," she explained in an interview with Contents magazine. "I would love to write a Shirley Jackon/Helen Oyeyemi-esque novel one day, so I hope to find that in me! ...one day!" Writing must be embedded deep in her DNA, then. That's the easy part. The tough part will be figuring out how to squeeze writing into her already jam-packed schedule.

Boynton also aspires to get behind the camera once she has more experience in the industry. "I would also love to direct one day," she explained. "But I'd first like, and need, to build up my knowledge and understanding of both the process and film history to draw on." Love her dedication to the craft. There's plenty of time for that, girl!