Rami Malek was once "thrown on the bonnet of an LAPD cop car" after he mistaken for a criminal.

The 43-year-old actor still has vivid memories of being stopped by police officers on the streets of Los Angeles during his younger years.

Rami told the Guardian newspaper: "I got thrown on the bonnet of an LAPD cop car because someone had robbed a liquor store and stolen a woman's bag.

"They said the [thief] was of Latin descent and, 'You fit the description.' I remember how hot that engine was, they must have been racing over there and it was almost burning my hands.

"My friend, who was Caucasian, was clever enough to go, 'Actually, sir, he's Egyptian. Not Latin.' I remember laughing on the cop car, thinking, 'OK, this is a very precarious situation. I may well be going to jail for something I've not done.'"

Rami was born in California to Egyptian parents and he now appreciates the sacrifices his parents made for him after arriving in America.

The 'Oppenheimer' star explained: "The school system in Los Angeles was not great. [My mom] would handwrite these long letters in blue fountain pen explaining our situation. She'd say, 'I'm going to give my kids every opportunity possible.'

"I would hear stories about her being pregnant with my brother and me, and taking three buses - three different buses! - to get to work and back."

Meanwhile, Rami previously admitted that he struggled to fit-in during his childhood in Los Angeles.

The actor told The New Yorker: "I felt that we stuck out like a sore thumb, as a family, our traditions.

"Going to school with that type of consciousness, and feeling like we were wearing our heritage on our sleeves, was always something that was confusing."