Rachel Bilson and Rami Malek are friends again after a disastrous Instagram incident.
The "O.C." actress recently revealed that Malek had asked her to delete a throwback school photo of the two of them that she had shared on Instagram but on Tuesday she said the pair have since managed to smooth things over.
"Rami and I actually have talked since that came out. He connected with me, and we're all good," she said during an episode of the "LadyGang" podcast. "He was so sweet and we're totally fine now and we talked about it and we're good."
Bilson explained that she understood where Malek was coming from. She had posted the photo ahead of the 2019 Oscars. Malek was in the running for Best Actor for his performance in "Bohemian Rhapsody." He went on to win the Academy Award but in the days leading up to the event, needed to maintain a professional image.
"He was so gracious, and I totally understood where he was coming from and he understood me," Bilson said. "And I was just so happy we were able to squash it and, like, move on."
In March Bilson revealed in an episode of Dax Shepard and Monica Padman's "Armchair Expert" podcast that Malek had asked her to take down the photo. She messaged him to apologize but said he never replied.
"I was super-bummed because he was always so nice and we were good friends, and I'm a big fan of not taking yourself seriously, especially at that level of fame and talent," she said at the time.
Bilson admitted during her appearance on "LadyGang" that the interview drew more attention than she anticipated.
"My friend sent me a CNN link to it. I was like, 'Are you kidding me?'" she said. The fiasco caused her quite a bit of anxiety and she admitted having to seek help for it.
"I was so mortified though. Like, I was having a panic attack," she said. "I had to go to therapy that day, and I was like, 'I am having anxiety. I did not want this to resurface in this way. I feel so bad. Oh my god. Rami is going to think I'm doing this again.'"
However, things worked out in the end. Although rather embarrassing, Bilson said she was glad the incident allowed the pair to reconnect afterwards.
"It actually turned out to be a good thing for a reason, because we were able to reconnect and, like, make it better and everything is great," she said.
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Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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