MR. ROBOT’S Sam Esmail On His Dark and Timely Creation

The Burden of Representation

One of the most interesting aspects of Mr. Robot is how well Elliot’s experience with mental illness is ingrained in the narrative. Shooting and dialogue choices purposely remind us that what Elliot is experiencing may not be the entire truth, but it never undermines him as a person. It’s a rare thing to see mental illness humanized in such a way that any potential for it to serve as a plot device, instead of a story’s lens, is entirely removed.

Because Esmail has written Elliot and his experience so well it sets a new bar for other shows. So does Esmial now feel a certain responsibility associated with being a “trail blazer?” Not really, according to the Mr. Robot creator. In fact, attempting to take on that burden could have a negative affect on his ability to tell his and Elliot’ story as genuinely as possible.

“I think if I started thinking about that that’s when it starts getting into pandering or being dismissive or belittling and I never want to do that,” Esmail stated. “For me I’m just trying to reflect as authentically as I can my experience with it because I’ve had experience with it. Not just with myself, but with my close friends. So I’m just trying to represent that as accurately as possible. If I start getting into thinking how other people are going to react I think that can contaminate it, you know?”