As TV critics spent the summer struggling to find a compulsively watchable show we can all agree on, freshman series Mr. Robot emerged out of nowhere to join UnREAL as the season’s buzziest entry. The show stars Rami Malek as Elliot, a hoodie-ensconced, disorder-riddled antihero with a penchant for hacking everyone . . . especially the bad guys. The stylish show, with its distinct visuals and hooky soundtrack, has drawn comparisons to some recent classics like Dexter or Breaking Bad. But instead of mass murderers or the meth industry, Mr. Robot confronts the everyday realities of massive corporate greed, cyber terrorism, and the way the Internet makes us all very, very vulnerable. This is Walter White for the Digital Age.

We spoke with Malek about his breakout lead role in the series, what it’s like to play such a troubled character, and about that time he bled to make sure a scene turned out just right.

__VF Hollywood: When I’m trying to sell people on Mr. Robot I always bump up against the same problem. No one believes a USA show could be this dark and complicated. Do you ever get that from viewers? “I can’t believe this is on USA!” __

Rami Malek: It comes up almost every time. You know, they’re branching out and re-jiggering everything over there and I think it’s a great way to come in full steam with a show like Mr. Robot that is unlike anything else on the network.

The show with its off-kilter hero and anti-establishment monologues has drawn comparisons to Fight Club. There are still some people who wonder if Christian Slater’s Mr. Robot character is completely made up. Is that something you play with or have people grabbed the wrong end of the stick in terms of what kind of show this is?

I think it’s easy to question . . . you’re talking about a guy who, from the beginning of the series, explains that he’s creating an imaginary person in his head and everyone watching is a part of that. I think the more we get to know Elliot the more you’ll realize what exactly his reality is and I think he’ll also come to realize what his reality is. And as vague as that sounds, I think these questions are going to keep coming up well beyond this first season.

But there are things like all the characters referring to “E Corp” as “Evil Corp,” which is Elliot’s invention. So the reality of the entire show is all filtered through your character’s perception.

That’s true. But I don't want people to think, What if the whole thing is just in his imagination? I know we do take some creative liberties but I promise that this is not all for naught.

Well then, with the voice-over where Elliot is addressing the audience or the made-up person in his head, how does that all work technically? At what point do you lay it down, and is it playing in your ear?

I get it through like a spy device. It’s called an earwig. It’s basically an earbud that fits into my ear and I turn it on whenever there’s voice-over. I found a young lady in the P.A. department, Sarah Block, who is the voice in my head. So I have a female voice in my head. And I tried out a bunch of people but for some reason there was something really soothing about this girl’s voice, and so it just works for me. There’s something really sweet about getting all of those things through her perspective. And then I lay it down right after we’re done shooting an episode.