Queen guitarist Brian May believes that actor Rami Malek is a shoe-in for the “Best Actor” Academy Award for his portrayal of the band’s late frontman, the iconic Freddie Mercury. According to Best Classic Bands, the blockbuster biopic Bohemian Rhapsody racked up another $13.8 million in North America during its fourth weekend of release — bringing the movie’s grand total to a whopping $152 million. Internationally, the film has scored a massive $472 million.

In an interview with The Press Association, Brian May couldn’t stop singing Malek’s praises, saying, “He’s incredible. . .  without a doubt he’ll be on the nominations list for an Oscar and well deserved as well. He inhabited Freddie to the point where we even started to think of him as Freddie. Really remarkable. We’ve lived with this project for nine years and it’s incredible to see it doing so well. It came out to s****y reviews, as some of our work has before, but the public has embraced it magnificently. Everybody gave 200 percent, from the actors and technicians to the production team and hair and make up, everyone.”

Brian May also had time to salute actor Gwilym Lee, who by all accounts nailed the role of May in the film: “You don’t get any lukewarm responses. The guy who plays me should be getting awards all over.”