Hacktivist TV hit Mr. Robot reflects real world, says Christian Slater

Mr. Robot, the newTVthriller delving into the fascinating and morally complex world of hacking, is premiering at the perfecttime,asdata breaches andhacktivismfrom the recent Ashley Madison data dump to the Sony e-mail leaks last winter grab headlines worldwide.

"We made the pilot and, a couple months later, the Sony hack actually happened. So that kind of brought it to the forefront of everybody's mind," actor Christian Slater toldCBC News in Toronto on Thursday.

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Slater, who stars as the titularmysterious leader of an underground group of hackers,says what has been interesting during productionis theunexpected collision of the show and real world events.

"Sometimes we'll be shooting an episode and, in the paper that day, a very similar storyis happening while we are filming it. It's been very synchronistic."

Mr. Robot centresona young computer programmer named Elliot, playedby Rami Malek. During the day, heworks for a cyber security firm. Bynight, he's a hacking vigilante, using his skills to expose regular people doing bad things.

A digital war begins afterElliot gets recruited by Mr. Robot to join his group of hackers.The mission: to expose the corruption withinbig corporations.

"It's a pretty crazy show," saidSlater, who admits ithasexposed him to a whole new world.

"There is definitely a moral authority aspect to it, but at the same time using that power to take on corruption and organizations that take advantage of people."

Producers hired technical advisors to help ensure the drama reflectedreal world hacks andMr. Robot, which just concluded its first season in the U.S.,has been commended for its accurate portrayal.

"As technical as the show is and as much as it is about the world of hacking, Sam Esmail [the creator] really wanted to make it about characters and people interacting," Slater noted.

Praise for the series, which receivedan almostperfect score on onlineratings siteRotten Tomatoes, has extended to Mr.Robot gettingthe greenlight for Season 2.

"It's definitely a show that you should pay attention to,"saidSlater.

Mr. Robot premieres in Canada Fridayon Showcase.