The enigmatic Darlene from Mr Robot is one of the biggest reasons for the show’s already-cult status. Actress Carly Chaikin on season two and more
The enigmatic Darlene from Mr Robot is one of the biggest reasons for the show’s already-cult status. Actress Carly Chaikin on season two and more
Carly Chaikin plays Darlene on the phenomenon that is Mr Robot. Her character is an integral part of the mysterious fsociety’s plan — a brilliant malware coder who has a close relationship with the main protagonist of the show, Elliot. Carly talks about playing Darlene, Mr Robot’s success and working with lead star Rami Malek.
What’s it like being in a show like Mr Robot It’s amazing. It’s also really hard to process and realise the impact that it has. You know, at the Golden Globes, right after we won, they took us backstage to do press and everyone’s like: “How does it feel to win a Golden Globe ” And I said, “I don’t know. It just happened two seconds ago and now I’m talking to you.” (laughs)
Did you have an inkling when you signed on it would be this big No,I knew that what we had was special and wanted to be a part of it. I had read the pilot and was blown away by it. But in the TV world and the film world, you never know. Every piece of the puzzle has to come together. You can have amazing writing, but you don’t have control over it all. It all has to fall into place.
The characters in Mr Robot are not who they initially seem to be. How much did you know about Darlene going in I knew before I even got the job who Darlene (really) was. I had one tiny scene in the pilot and they gave me another scene (to read) from episode two. That was all I had to go off of. And so, Sam and I talked beforehand and he explained to me that there was a lot more to my role on the show. He walked me through the big picture, but I would find the smaller things when I got the scripts. It’s the same this year.
Where did we leave Darlene and where do we find her in season two When we left season one, the hack went through and she’s really excited about it. But there are some worries based on everyone else’s reaction. So, we come back in season two to pick it up a few weeks late. Mostly, I’m excited for this season because you really get to see her and who she is and all of her layers.
Is there a lot more to her than what we saw in season one Oh yeah (laughs) In season one we had to keep the character more mysterious and sort of in and out [of the narrative] just for the payoff of the reveal to happen. Now we’ve opened the doors to Darlene, who she is, and our being able to dive into her world as well. What is it like working with Mr Robot creator, Sam Esmail Amazing. He’s directing every episode this year. So the way we have to shoot it is very different with us kind of filming all the episodes at once. It just elevates things even more because you have the mastermind behind it all there with you.
Tell us about your relationship with Rami Malek. You’re great on screen! Rami is amazing. We’ve become really close and I think that kind of honest open friendship that we have just translates on screen. We love working together and helping each other with the scenes. There’s nothing better than working with someone where you heighten each other’s performances. Working with him makes you want to be better.
(Tune in to the Instant Premiere of Mr. Robot Season 2, Thursdays, 12 PM onwards only on COLORS Infinity)
