Key Points

The actor discussed the series while attending a 'Mr. Robot' 10th anniversary panel, reports 'People' magazine.

The panel was moderated by Happy Sad Confused podcast host Josh Horowitz, at New York Comic Con. During the conversation, the actor reflected on his time playing the genius-yet-troubled Elliot Alderson, who struggled with addiction and mental health issues.

"There was a sense of gravity to that character from the very beginning. I mean the immense grief, profound alienation", Malek, 44, said. "There was this unique resilience that I found in Elliot, day in and day out, that always imbued me with some sense of hope about humanity".

However, he said playing such a dark and nuanced role took its toll. He went on, "It was a lot of mental gymnastics day in and day out, and I'm not going to lie, (the) schedule and (show creator) Sam put me through absolute hell".

He continued, "But it was a challenge that I embraced and look back on with great pride. I mean, I would remember going through Monday to Friday (and) by Friday, I feel like I would look at my body and felt I had gone through a bit of a battle".

The Oscar winner added, "We had seven days to shoot an episode, so there was no time to do anything but sit in Elliot's skin, and that was not the easiest place to be".

As per 'People', the 'Oppenheimer' actor went on to say that, despite the grueling workload, he feels that his time on the show, which aired in the USA from 2015 to 2019, was "worth every second".

He added that the experience had a "profound" effect on his life. He shared, "From Sam just wanting (to cast me) seeing something in me, that had a profound effect on me. Even the acknowledgement that I could take on this role from his perspective was, that was a feat".

"Looking back on it now, this show changed my life (and I owe an) immense amount of debt and gratitude to everyone involved. I learned so much from it. I was able to carry myself a certain way going on to future projects", he added.

- IANS