As an Egyptian child growing up in New Jersey and South Carolina, creator Sam Esmail experienced alienation. This alienation is something that resonates with him and shows in his writing. The successful series Mr. Robot was created by Esmail originally as a film script featuring an outcast named Elliot and his functions as a hacktivist. Today, Esmail explains his own similarities with Mr. Robot lead character Elliot, played by expressive actor Rami Malek, as well as translating what was meant for film to the second season of a TV series.