Rami Malek Says He Was 'Thrown' on Hood of Police Car in Racial Profiling Incident: 'I Remember How Hot That Engine Was'

Rami Malek is opening up about an incident in which he was racially profiled.

In an interview with The Guardian centered on his identity as an Egyptian-American man, the actor, 43, shared the moment he was "thrown" against a cop car in Los Angeles. The police, he said, received an account of a Latin man who stole liquor and a woman's bag, and he "fit the description."

"I remember how hot that engine was — they must have been racing over there and it was almost burning my hands," he said.

Related: Shemar Moore Recalls Struggling with Being Mixed-Race as a Kid: 'Where Do I Fit In?' (Exclusive)

He added, "I remember laughing on the cop car, thinking, 'Okay, this is a very precarious situation. I may well be going to jail for something I've not done.'"

His friend, who is Caucasian, jumped in to correct the officers — that Malek is of Egyptian descent, not Latin, the actor said. The Los Angeles Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

Malek told The Guardian, "it's difficult enough traveling," being a Middle Eastern man in an airport. His full name, Rami Said Malek, has become something of a red flag with airport security, he said — though in those instances, his fame has often come to his aid.

“I started to think, ‘What is happening?’ Every time I tried to enter a country. These days, there might be a moment," Malek said. "Then they’ll go, ‘Nah, that’s the guy from Bohemian Rhapsody. Let him through.’”

Malek said he spent a lot of his upbringing reconciling his identity, between his Egyptian roots and his home in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles. The Oscar winner didn't speak English until age 5 or 6, he said, and while his father did embrace aspects of American culture, it was a fine line of not "alienating yourself from certain aspects of the culture, but definitely not accepting them."

“I don’t know how you ever get over that. I’m what’s called ‘white passing’, but I have very distinctive features, and we definitely didn’t fit in," he said of himself and his twin brother Sami.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Related: Emma Corrin Hold Hands with Rami Malek in Soaked Pants During Barefoot Stroll on Beach in Brazil

Malek and his brother learned to read situations carefully, to be hyper-conscious of their place or role in a room full of people. It's become such a habit that Malek can no longer "turn it off."

The actor described how another actor recently shared with his partner, Emma Corrin, that Malek has that ability to quickly sense and understand the vibe of the room.

“‘From the second Rami walks in the room, he is assessing every single situation, how it will affect him, or others, the domino effect of it all,'" Malek recalled the actor saying to Corrin. "I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse. Sometimes I find it detrimental."

Read the original article on People