Take two on this friendship! Rachel Bilson said she has spoken to Rami Malek after calling him out over that photo fiasco.
According to Rachel, Rami isn't holding any grudges, as the former high school pals have cleared the air.
Recall in March, Rachel revealed that Rami DM'd her on Instagram in 2019 to ask her to remove a throwback photo of them as teens. The O.C. actress said she was "super bummed because he was always so nice and we were good friends."
Speaking on the LadyGang podcast on April 27, Rachel explained what went down after she publicly ousted his awkward social media request.
"Rami and I actually have talked since that came out. He connected with me, and we're all good. He, you know, was so sweet and we're totally fine now and we talked about it and we're good," she said. "He was so gracious, and I totally understood where he was coming form and he understood me. And I was just so happy we were able to squash it and, like, move on."
Rachel told him she understood his side, and "he knew I was wasn't doing it with any ill intention," which seems to be one of her biggest fears about the mess.
She admitted she never meant for the story to blow up like it did, saying, "My friend sent me a CNN link to it. I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?'"
In fact, after the story went viral, she was so humiliated by the whole situation that she went to therapy for guidance.
"I was so mortified though. Like, I was having a panic attack," she shared. "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.'"
It seems to be water under the bridge now. Rachel said her conversation with the Mr. Robot actor helped put the issue to rest: "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."
In 2019, Rachel shared a throwback photo of the pair during a trip to New York while they were in high school. It was meant to celebrate Rami's awards sweep for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. She captioned the pic, "Hey @ramimalek where'd you get that gold chain? #tbt #oscarworthy #dontforgetthelittlepeople."
She later deleted the pic and finally explained the real reason in March 2021, when she spoke on the Armchair Expert podcast.
"I actually look and I have a message from Rami. But it wasn't like, 'Hey! How are you?!' It was straight to: 'I would really appreciate if you take that down. I'm a really private person,'" Rachel recalled. "I was like, 'Oh, s--t! OK.' I get really hot and start sweating... I'm all nervous, like, 'Oh god! What did I do?' He was a really good friend, it's a funny picture... you know? I don't take myself that seriously."
The Hart of Dixie alum went on, "I guess I should've found something more flattering... But I removed it and I even wrote to him a really nice message: 'I'm so sorry. Go get the Oscar! You're doing amazing.' And I never hear anything back, which is fine."
Both Rami and Rachel attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Calif. Since they were in the same grade, Rachel said they starred in the school play together.