How Rami Malek Basically Saved Mr. Robot From Rewriting
The actor was literally the show's salvation and the foundation of its future success.
By day, Elliot Alderson is a cybersecurity clerk. By night, he is a skilled hacker who punishes the bad guys.
His skills and heightened sense of justice attract the attention of an underground group bent on destroying the global economy.
Now Elliot must decide whether to accept the leader's offer and become a part of the organization. The disturbing and frightening series about total surveillance took the career of Malek to a higher level.
For the role of the dark hacker suffering from psychological problems, he attended information security seminars, took hacking lessons and met with a psychologist to better understand the nuances of the character's mental state.
Immersing himself in the role helped Rami discover dramatic talent, gain recognition (an Emmy win and three Golden Globe nominations) and access new professional opportunities.
As it turned out, the actor not only handled the role brilliantly, but literally saved it, ensuring that his character appeared on screen exactly as he was originally intended. In audition after audition, the actors didn't give series creator Sam Esmail what he wanted:
"They would do these beautiful interpretations of the scene, but the character just came off very cold, very obnoxious, and I was almost going to tell USA [Network], […] I got to rewrite this. I think this guy is annoying and I don't think anybody is going to want to spend every week with this person."
But when Rami showed up for the audition, everything changed. Sam saw that this actor could bring to life exactly what he had in mind. Malek was able to accurately convey Elliot's psychological state – a vicious circle.
Emotional trauma locks the character in, but loneliness only aggravates his mental wounds.
Sometimes he realizes this, but still acts out of inertia and protects himself from people. As a result, Elliot hurts himself and loses his sense of reality.
In the five years since its debut, Sam Esmail's Mr. Robot has not only transformed the lives of its star, Rami Malek, and the nondescript cable channel USA Network, but it has also finally recognized the right of anti-heroes to lead the series.
Source: NPR