Rami Malek wanted The Amateur to be an 'evolution' of Mr Robot role
You might notice some similarities between Elliot Alderson and Malek's latest character – but there are also some major differences.
On first glance, you might notice a fair few similarities between Rami Malek's character in new revenge thriller The Amateur and his iconic TV role on Mr Robot.
Just like that show's Elliot Alderson, his latest character, Charlie Heller, is an expert in hacking and other computer skills – and soon finds himself putting those talents to use for vigilante purposes – while both characters are also introduced as somewhat socially awkward personalities.
Beyond that, there are some pretty major differences, and although Malek revealed that he spoke to director James Hawes "quite a bit" about making sure the characters were differentiated from each other, he also explained how he wanted there to be some connective tissue between the pair.
"I wanted to embrace certain aspects," he explained during an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com. "That was one of the reasons I wanted to make the film, because Mr Robot was ending and I love that character so much. And I thought, 'What if Elliot had evolved and had a family?'"
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He went on to clarify that Elliot and Charlie were "very, very different" – pointing to the fact that the latter is capable of having a love interest, something which couldn't be said of his previous character.
"There's a great love story in this film that you don't necessarily have with Elliot and Mr Robot," he said. "You get a great mentor as well [Laurence Fishburne's Robert Henderson], the best mentor you could probably ever ask for in history.
"And we get to take it all over the world. So there's a global aspect. London is the greatest backdrop to begin with, and then we go from DC and London all over the world, and it becomes a global spy – hopefully – phenomenon."
Of course, Fishburne is also playing a character with a few similarities to previous roles: just like Morpheus in The Matrix, Henderson is responsible for providing training to the film's central character.
But according to the star, it was the chance to work with Malek which enticed him to the project.
"I'm an admirer of Rami's work," he said. "I mean, this man is absolutely singular, and his talent and his intelligence, his spirit, it's all just undeniable.
"So we've wanted to work with each other for a very long time," he added. "I mean, ever since we met each other. It's not that long ago, but long enough that we were both very anxious to, and so when this project presented itself, and I learned that he was doing it, and they wanted me to play this part, I was like, 'Yes, please!'"
Meanwhile, Malek also hopes that – all going well – this film might possibly just be the beginning for Charlie Heller.
"We thought about how to end it many different ways, and I particularly love the way we did," he explained.
"Because, no spoilers, but I think it opens itself up to some possible further interactions down the line with one of my favourite actors. I'll leave it at that."
The Amateur is released in UK cinemas on Friday 11th April 2025.
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
