Rami Malek on 'Mr. Robot' and his own not-so-overnight success

* MR. ROBOT. 10 tonight, USA.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Rami Malek was having a moment.

The star of USA's "Mr. Robot" had barely arrived at an NBC Universal press party at Spago's last week before he was surrounded by other actors.

It was a gathering not short on bold-faced names. Wesley Snipes wasn't far way, Jay Leno was in another room, but the slightly built Malek seemed to be attracting outsized attention from his peers.

Later, after I'd worked my way into a small knot of reporters who were also eager to talk with Malek, I asked him about other actors' reaction to his performance as computer hacker Elliot Alderson.

"Since the show started airing, I've gotten incredible compliments from actors that I respect, from showrunners as well, from heads of studios," said Malek, whose zippered black jacket was an upgrade from his character's hoodie.

He's also gotten offers for projects he's not ready to talk about ("I can say that 'Mr. Robot' is opening a lot of doors for me"), and a confident USA ordered a second season before the show's June 24 premiere.

"Look, people are calling me a newcomer, and I've been at this for a while," said Malek, who, at 34, has been acting professionally for more than 10 years, with credits that include HBO's World War II drama "The Pacific," "Need for Speed," opposite "Breaking Bad's" Aaron Paul, and the final, pre-reboot season of "24."

"I've been grinding away. So to get that kind of appreciation - it's not something that I yearn for, but it fills me with a sense of pride. Not only for what I'm doing, but I know I'm part of a special show, and it's a privilege and a gift to play Elliot and have it written by a guy who's as talented as [creator] Sam Esmail is, who has a vision, a really unique vision."

I could say I'm avoiding saying exactly what Esmail's vision is, out of respect for those who haven't yet caught up with "Mr. Robot," but I'd be lying.

Because to imagine one knows what's going on this show, powered by an almost hypnotic performance by Malek and featuring Christian Slater as the show's mysterious titular character, is an invitation to appear foolish.

Which hasn't stopped viewers from guessing.

When another reporter, citing his readers, floated one popular theory about Slater's character and asked whether there would be any kind of answer before next week's season finale, Malek paused before answering.

"I think there will be more conclusive evidence for everyone's theories," he said.

Malek had had other questions for the show's creator at the beginning.

"I said, 'What are you going to do? What is the style of this show?' I actually used the word style: 'Is it going to be "stylish"?' Because I use that in a negative connotation. I wanted something a bit austere, something that felt like you had a vision into a world from a unique perspective."

Inundated as we are with dramas in which even the layers of meaning have layers of meaning, it might be tempting to avoid a show that resolutely refuses to explain itself.

But after the disappointment of "True Detective's" Season 2, this summer needed a happy surprise, and, dour as he is, Malek's Elliot turns out to be it.

"I think I knew him right away," said the actor of his character, a brilliant hacker with a less-than-brilliant personal life.

"I couldn't wrap my entire body and soul around him, but I knew him in that I wanted to play him. There were so many things that I could relate to about him that I think people at large can, and there were so many things that were very foreign to me . . . And I thought he was a really questionable person," Malek said, with a short laugh. "I just wanted to find what was redeeming about him and go on a really thrilling adventure with Elliot."

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