The first season of Mr Robot was a series which featured a complex plot that was captivating not only for its relevance and strong execution, but also for its many plot twists that continued to keep things fresh and the viewers on their seat. In preparation for the launch of season 2, which looks set to be just as enticing as the first, the cast of Rami Malek, Christian Slater, Carly Chaikin and Portia Doubleday got together with the press to discuss the show without giving away too many details of what to expect for the second season.
The discussion in particular, focused a lot on how the cast handled the various plot changes through the series and how sometimes they didn’t even know themselves what was going on as series creator and producer Sam Esmail liked to keep things on a need to know basis and appeared to tightly ensure his creative vision for the show was maintained throughout. Not an easy feat, but it shows the kind of passion that has gone in to the show and that has made it such a success.
While we couldn’t afford to actually travel to the press conference because we choose to rather spend our money on blinging up our popcorn boxes to look like hipsters when we watch our movies instead, we did get details of what was discussed from the folks over at Variety which we have tried to summarise further here. Some of the details shared by the cast relate to events from the first season – so please be aware of spoilers if you have yet to watch it. Take it as a note to catch up before watching the second season that is coming out on July 13…
When asked about the pressures of living up to the high expectations of season one, the cast admitted that they did feel some of the pressure in getting together for the second season, but that once everyone got together again and production started, they were back to being a well-oiled machine.
They also indicated that with Esmail directing all 10 episodes of season 2 this time, they needed to shoot episodes out of sequences for simplicity, something which Slater indicated was quite a challenge:
We were presented, when we came back, with a phone-book sized script and we all got the opportunity to sit around a table for two days and read through the whole season, and that just doesn’t happen. It was very unusual, so everything about this whole experience has been unique and very exciting.
With the cast not always knowing all the details of the plot while filming, even they had difficulty keeping track of the events of the first season with Doubleday herself confessing that she needed to consult wiki to bring herself up to speed on everything. However she did say that the unveiling of plot points to the cast had its moments
It’s so great watching Christian’s reactions
When quizzed on the reveal of Darlene and Elliot being siblings, Chaikin said she was aware of the reveal early in the filming of the series and as a result was surprised at how people responded to her character early in the series
“I didn’t expect everyone to hate me so much,” she said. After the big reveal in episode 8 however, “all was forgiven,” she indicated.
Similarly, Slater had to be aware of certain details to his character being revealed as Mr Robot in order to make his performance and role work for the series.
With regards to the filming of many scenes with Malek needing to do voice-over narration to articulate his thoughts, it took time to adjust to them. Malek revealed that Esmail used to read the lines out aloud during filming to make it easier for him to act these scenes, but that he found it “jarring” to work with. In the end, they had to settle for production assistance Sarah Bock reading the lines to him directly into an earpiece:
She just lights up a set. I told her ‘You have something I want and I’m going to put it in my ear’.
And with regards to giving us any tidbits on what to expect ahead of season 2, the stars only had the following to say:
If we say anything we’re in trouble. Buckle in.
Needless to say, while we don’t know anything more about the next season, we can probably expect it to be just as twisted and enthralling as the first and there are probably many more plot twists that will be awaiting us.
Are you excited for season 2 of Mr Robot?
Last Updated: June 9, 2016
