Rachel Bilson has said Rami Malek asked her to remove a photo of the two of them on social media.

The actress explained that Malek was “a good friend” of hers when the two went to Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California, together.

• READ MORE: Will there be a ‘Bohemian Rhapsody 2’? Everything we know about the Queen and Freddie Mercury sequel film

“I had posted a throwback of us from our senior trip to New York,” Bilson said on Dax Shephard’s Armchair Expert podcast.

“We’re super nerdy… just the dorkiest picture of the both of us. But I throw it up, ’cause it’s funny and I think it’s so important to be able to make fun of yourself.”

The actress explained that Rami Malek then sent her a direct message. “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,’” she recalled.

“I was like, ‘Oh, s***! OK.’ I get really hot and start sweating. I’m all nervous, like, ‘Oh god! What did I do?’ He was a good friend, it’s a funny picture…you know? I don’t take myself that seriously.”

She continued: “I was like, 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. But I was super bummed because he was always so nice and we were good friends.”

“I’m a big fan of not taking yourself so seriously, especially at that level of fame and talent, but look, he wants to be super respected and that’s his thing, so I respected it and took it down. I was just a little bummed at how it was handled.”

Rami Malek will next be starring in No Time To Die as the latest Bond villain, Safin.