Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor confirm the mistakes in Bohemian Rhapsody, a Freddie Mercury biopic.
They explained why they did it on purpose.
Regarding 1978’s Fat Bottomed Girls was shown being played during the band’s 1974 tour, May told Mojo:
“I remember making a fuss about that… But I sat down with the film company and they explained that’ what you have to do if you want to tell a story. So these things are not mistakes. They’re done deliberately.”
On Freddie’s HIV Diagnosis, the film shows an emotional scene where the singer tells the band during Live Aid rehearsals. In real life, it happened much later.
May said:
“To tell it that way would have required another hour of screen time. So we took liberties, or rather they, the filmmakers did.”
He further added:
“You carry a story with you and treasure it, but when you agree to sell it, it’s not yours anymore… but they always treated us with great respect.”
Roger Taylor added:
“I know Freddie didn’t announce he had AIDS before Live Aid. He told us in his bedroom much later. The important thing is it did happen and we’re not telling lies. The chronology doesn’t matter.”