‘Mr Robot’ showrunner shares inspiration for mentally challenged character

“Mr Robot” season 3 is expected to arrive in June or as early as May. Avid fans of the show are anticipating what could happen next in the life of Elliot Alderson (Rami Malek). Previously, showrunner Sam Esmail said the American television series is all about the emotional journey of Elliot, who is suffering from mental illness He has also shared how he researched and crafted the show’s main protagonist.

The showrunner is somehow familiar with the concept of mental illness as he has friends who have suffered from schizophrenia and mild dissociative identity disorder. Some of the people he knows even suffered from as more extreme cases of social anxiety disorder. It seems the cases he had witnessed served as an inpiration for him to present such story.

“I pulled anecdotally from that,” Esmail told Popular Science. But he also wanted to broaden his knowledge about mental diseases by consulting a psychologist. Esmail said they have hired a psychologist specifically for the show.

When asked how the feedback from the psychologist was like, the showrunner described it as odd. “The psychologist reinforced the things that I did get right, and then there were things she pointed out that felt inaccurate,” he explained.

Esmail further explained that people suffering from dissociative identity disorder tend to have an imaginary friend. In the series, Elliot has Mr Robot (Christian Slater) as his imaginary friend and the latter sticks around. The showrunner said it is an indicative again of a Schizophrenia case.

He has also shared why he specifically chose morphine as Elliot’s drugs. It seems it is something that he is most familiar with as he had an experience with such. He said he felt he could present morphine more genuinely than other kinds of opiates.

Elliot suffers social anxiety disorder, clinical depression, delusions and paranoia. Avid viewers of the show know that Elliot is one who would suppress his pain. It is what the majority of people dealing with depression do to manage the pain. In the interview, the showrunner did not reveal when or how he had a personal experience with the drug, but said he knows it well.

The third season of the series is expected to see more of Elliot and his emotional journey. It also stars Martin Wallström (Tyrell Wellick), Stephanie Corneliussen (Joanna Wellick) and Michael Cristofer (Phillip Price) among others. “Mr Robot” season 2 aired on Showcase in Australia. Official air date for the third season is expected to be announced in the near future.