Rachel Bilson says things are 'totally fine' with Rami Malek after throwback photo fiasco

Rachel Bilson has insisted things are "totally fine" between her and Rami Malek.

The 39-year-old actress revealed last month that her old high school friend had got in touch in 2019 to ask her to remove a throwback photo of them as teenagers and admitted she was "super bummed" to have upset him, but the former O.C. star revealed he's been in touch since she told the story and they have cleared the air and been able to "move on".

Speaking on the LadyGang podcast, she said: "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.

"He was so gracious, and I totally understood where he was coming from and he understood me. And I was just so happy we were able to squash it and, like, move on… He knew I wasn't doing it with any ill intention."

Rachel never expected her story to be as big as it was, and her humiliation led to her speaking to her therapist to find a way to handle the situation as she feared she would upset the Bohemian Rhapsody star again.

She said: "My friend sent me a CNN link to it. I was like, 'Are you kidding me?'

"I was so mortified though. Like, I was having a panic attack. 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.'"

But now the brunette beauty is glad the story resurfaced because it led to the Mr. Robot actor getting back in touch with her.

She said: "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."

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Rachel had previously admitted she shared the "super nerdy" photo from a school trip she and Rami had taken during their time at California's Notre Dame High School because she thought it was funny.

She said: "Obviously, he gets super famous and he's always been extremely talented… even in high school.

"I had posted a throwback of us from our senior trip to New York. 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."

However, the Oscar-winning actor subsequently contacted Rachel via social media to ask her to remove the photo.

She revealed: "I don't usually check my DMs on my Instagram … maybe a week goes by and 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.'

"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 really good friend, it's a funny picture … you know? I don't take myself that seriously."