The second season of Mr. Robot premieres tonight (finally) on USA Network, and this time, there’s a few new additions to the cast. There’s Craig Robinson and Chris Conroy, but most notable to hip-hop fans will be the appearance of Joey Bada$$, who makes his acting debut as Leon. Joey plays the character in a recurring role, who is a close friend of Elliot’s after he moves to a computer-free exile in Brooklyn.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, he talks about landing the role the being around great actors. Below, you can read some excerpts.
How did you get involved with Mr. Robot?
There was a casting call. I auditioned for the role of Leon. I got three callbacks, and I was finally casted. That’s pretty much how it happened. My character is basically speaking to the main character in this diner, so it wasn’t hard at all. It’s simple, actually. I just went in the audition and I had my lines memorized, like, literally, five minutes before I walked into the room, because I had no time to rehearse because of my business schedule. And yeah, I just went in there and Sam [Esmail] was right there when I auditioned. I had him laughing from the very moment that I started doing my lines. I was pretty confident after that.When did you meet Rami Malek?
First time I met him was on the first day that we shot. That was in March. The first day I shot, I had scenes with him and Christian Slater. For me, it was like, they set the bar high. It was a little bit of pressure on me because I’m like, “Wow, I’m right in between these two amazing actors. I’ve got to be great in their presence.” But they gave me a lot of confidence and pointers. They made me feel comfortable so I could do what I had to do.
Read the full interview HERE.
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