Like most actors, Robinson did his best to rationalize his characters decisions in order to play him, but that became more and more difficult as Ulbricht ignored the guiding principles that he established during Silk Roads infancy.
The website was Ross thesis statement, almost, on his libertarian ideals including no government involvement, free will and this laissez-faire attitude towards everything, Robinson explains. At the beginning, the website only sold some psychedelics and weed. And obviously, it snowballed from there, and the initial idealistic viewpoint just got corrupted over time. Things very quickly got out of control and out of hand, and they really tested Ross belief system. For better or worse, he stuck to these free market ideas and he paid the consequences.
In a recent conversation with THR, Robinson also reflects on Jurassic Worlds recreation of the main Jurassic Park set, why he said yes to Shadow in the Cloud and his surprising admission regarding Avengers: Endgame.
So the first thing I noticed about Silk Roadwas the Love, Simon reunion between you and Alex Shipp. When you know at least one person on a set, does that make each job a bit more comfortable?
Whenever you are working with friends or people that you have worked with in the past, there is an immediate shorthand and knowledge of one another that is helpful because it can be awkward sometimes. You show up to a film set, you meet someone for the first time and then all of sudden, cameras are rolling and youre trying to build a history with someone that doesnt actually exist. So if there already is a history there, then, yeah, it definitely makes things easier.
Since youre in Albuquerque one week and New Zealand the next, I imagine it can get pretty lonely despite having a cast and crew around you.
Yeah, it definitely does. A great part of the job is meeting new people and having new experiences every time you do it, but its also really cool knowing people going into it. And the more that you work, the more you find crossover and the smaller it all seems to feel, which is both good and bad. But, yeah, I would say its always nice to have a familiar face around.
In terms of developing your version of Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, what resources did you lean on the most?
Well, I think the two biggest resources for me were Tillers [Russell] research that hed already completed for the script, and Ross transcripts from Silk Road. When the FBI arrested him, he was logged in as Dread Pirate Roberts, and that was actually a big part of the arrest. They had to make sure that he was logged in so they could prove that it was him, and not only that, but beat the encryption and have access to all of the information thats on the site. So all of that was entered into evidence and a lot of it is public. It was really interesting to go through because it almost serves as a diary for Ross. Silk Road took place over a relatively short amount of time.
Just two-and-a-half years.
Yeah, exactly. So theres a lot of information out there about Ross and how he considered this his lifes work. He was on the site 24/7, posting, talking with people, building this kind of community. It was just really fascinating to dive into it and read his blog posts and manifestos. At the beginning, he hosted movie nights with community members on Silk Road, and there were even book clubs. It really was this community like Reddit or something. There were all these different users and personalities and Ross, as Dread Pirate Roberts, was a legend in that circle. Everyone had these speculations about who he was or if he was multiple people and I think he enjoyed that. When he made the website, he didnt really know what to do with it. So he posted on random message boards and said things like, Hey, have you guys heard of Silk Road? Hed pretend to be different users to try to drum up interest all the way to the end where he was posting these manifestos that got darker as time went on. I forget the exact quote, but he talked about how hed rather be free than live a life in golden chains. These were the musings and philosophies of a young guy and budding libertarian. So Ross words were the biggest resource, but I wasnt able to talk to him. I just had his writings.
Actors are often taught not to judge their characters and to find some way to justify their actions. In Ross case, he seemed to have a line he wouldnt cross at the outset, but then he eventually opened the door to hitmen and automatic weapons. At the very least, were you able to defend his initial intentions behind Silk Road?
Yes, at the beginning. The website was Ross thesis statement, almost, on his libertarian ideals including no government involvement, free will and this laissez-faire attitude towards everything. He felt that people should be allowed to do whatever they feel is best for themselves, and there is something kind of noble in that. At the beginning, the website only sold some psychedelics and weed. And obviously, it snowballed from there, and the initial idealistic viewpoint just got corrupted over time. Like you said, there was a major shift on the site. They went from selling shrooms, weed and acid to crack, meth, cocaine and automatic weapons, unregistered firearms, murder for hire. Things very quickly got out of control and out of hand, and they really tested Ross belief system. For better or worse, he stuck to these free market ideas and he paid the consequences.
In the movie, Ross worked on the site while standing up. Did you guys discover that detail, or was it just the way your director chose to block him?
Im trying to remember where that came from. I think that the standing desk was a choice on Tiller's part. Whether Ross actually worked at a standing desk or not, it reflected his millennial, Silicon Valley-esque mentality of thinking outside the box So the standing desk is a phase, and Im sure you see plenty of people standing up and typing in Facebooks offices. What Ross did was illegal, but you can draw some very direct lines between him and the folks in Silicon Valley. Ross created an online startup as a millennial and a very successful one. Obviously, you can question the effect that it had, but I think that Ross motivations were pure, at least initially. So I think the standing desk was just building on this idea that, in a different life, Ross couldve been working in Silicon Valley.
I recently saw you in Shadow in the Cloud, which I thought was really cool. Was that a last-minute casting with little prep time?
(Laughs.) Kind of. It was something that I became aware of at the start of 2019. I had a few people tell me about this script that had been floating around. So I read it, and it was a bonkers story. I also really loved Roseanne [Liang]. She had done a short called Do No Harm that was equally bonkers and awesome. With any job, you factor those things on some level. You also ask, Wheres it going to shoot? Whos it going to be with? And New Zealand is an amazing country. Im so glad that I had the opportunity to visit there. So I just thought it was a really weird, interesting script, and Im actually really proud of how it turned out. It is such a crazy, pulpy, fun movie. I dont think it was completely last minute, but it wasnt planned far in advance. I think I heard about it in January, and then I was in New Zealand in May or June. Roseanne is a real talent.
You clearly dont mind traveling to faraway places for a few days' work since you went to Hawaii to be Raoul Duke in the background of Kong: Skull Island.
(Laughs.) You really did your research for this interview.
Speaking of which, since Godzilla and Kong are facing off soon in Godzilla vs. Kong, I presume youre Team Kong given your ties to Jordan Vogt-Roberts?
Yeah. (Laughs.) I hope to see it as soon as I can. Im working in British Columbia right now, and when we first got here, theaters had actually opened back up, for a short window, because the case count had dropped low enough. So I saw a few movies in theaters and it was glorious. So Im hoping that by the time [Godzilla vs. Kong] rolls around, Ill be able to see it in a theater again. I just miss seeing movies in a movie theater.
Obligatory Jurassic World question: Since I saw Jurassic Park in the theater as a boy, World gave me such a nostalgia high, especially when you and Ty Simpkins discovered the remnants of the original park. When you were filming that sequence, was the entire set buzzing over the nostalgia trip?
Kind of. It definitely felt incredibly special. That whole job was such a fun experience. We were on a massive base in New Orleans, in these giant hangers that they used to build the Apollo program in, or pieces of the Apollo program. So they built a replica of the original Jurassic Park set, and it was the coolest thing ever. Opening up those doors, finding the old banner and making a torch, it was childhood fantasy-type stuff. Yeah, it did feel really special while we were making it. Jurassic Park is an all-time great. Its a masterpiece. So it was really fun to revisit that world literally.
Out of curiosity, did you immediately recognize Ty at the end of Avengers: Endgame, or did you also do a double take like a lot of people?
I hesitate to say this, but I have not seen Avengers: Endgame. (Laughs.) I have nothing against Marvel; I just missed that one somehow, even though everyone in the world saw it. So I cant actually say, but I do know that Ty has grown up a lot since Jurassic World. It actually makes me feel very old, sometimes. I think he was 12 when we were making it, and maybe he turned 13 on set. And now, hes a freshman or sophomore in college and looking more and more like a strapping young man every day. So it just makes me feel older and older every time I see him. (Laughs.)
I rewatched The Kings of Summer recently, and that scene of you in bed remains as brutal as ever.
Oh man, thank you so much. Yeah, that film is very near and dear to my heart, even now. Im still in touch with most of the people that made it.
Hows Maid going with the mother-daughter combo of Andie MacDowell and Margaret Qualley?
Im excited for people to see this one. Its heavy, but Margaret and Andie have been great. Theyre obviously really talented.
Well, Im sorry for spoiling Avengers: Endgame for you.
(Laughs.) No, its all good, man. I think the spoiler alert expires after a couple years. So thats more on me.
***Silk Road is now available on Apple TV, Prime Video and On Demand.
View post:
Nick Robinson on 'Silk Road' and Carrying the Torch for 'Jurassic Park' - Hollywood Reporter
- Letters to the Editor: April 5, 2021 - West Hawaii Today - April 6th, 2021
- The Bad Kind of Globalism - Splice Today - April 6th, 2021
- Vaccine Passports and Supply Chain Political Blacklist Risk - Reason - April 4th, 2021
- Glenn Nielsen and David Tyson Smith race toward the 45th District special election - Columbia Daily Tribune - April 4th, 2021
- Letters to the Editor for March 31, 2021 | Serving Carson City for over 150 years - Nevada Appeal - April 4th, 2021
- How Living on a Socialist Kibbutz Reveals the Value of Private Property - Reason - April 4th, 2021
- I Am An Ambedkarite And A Libertarian And I Do Not Owe Anything To Your Opinion - Youth Ki Awaaz - March 31st, 2021
- Libertarianism - Libertarian philosophy | Britannica - March 29th, 2021
- libertarianism | Definition, Doctrines, History, & Facts ... - March 25th, 2021
- Education and Naive Libertarianism - National Review - March 25th, 2021
- March 19-21: Libertarian Party of NH convention with keynote from former US Rep. Justin Amash - Manchester Ink Link - March 25th, 2021
- Why We Don't Need Any More "Political" Clubs on Campus The Skidmore News - Skidmore News - March 25th, 2021
- If we don't rediscover our libertarian spirit, the next pandemic will crush us - Telegraph.co.uk - March 25th, 2021
- Is it any surprise Republican men dont want the COVID vaccine? - The Boston Globe - March 25th, 2021
- Area business participates in hygiene drive | News, Sports, Jobs - The Express - Lock Haven Express - March 25th, 2021
- Recover the Moral Imperative of Law and Order city-journal.org - City Journal - March 25th, 2021
- Will Prohibitionists Tie The New Conservative Movement To Trump? - The Fresh Toast - March 25th, 2021
- 'Tip of the iceberg': Lawmakers mull domestic terrorism legislation after Capitol riot, other violence - USA TODAY - March 25th, 2021
- Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs announces he will run for reelection in 2022 - Knoxville News Sentinel - March 25th, 2021
- Bidenomics - The Nation - March 3rd, 2021
- Warren, Pressley among Dems pushing to strip police of 'qualified immunity' - Fox News - March 3rd, 2021
- Wyoming's Voter Registration Numbers Dip By More Than 20K Sheridan Media - Sheridan Media - March 3rd, 2021
- Recollections of Murray on His Ninety-Fifth Birthday - The Shepherd of the Hills Gazette - March 3rd, 2021
- Threatened by Libertarians, Iowa GOP moves goal posts - The Gazette - February 28th, 2021
- The New Foreign Flavor of CPACs Red Meat - New York Magazine - February 28th, 2021
- CPAC and the New Republicanism - The New York Times - February 28th, 2021
- Libertarian Party of Indiana's response to Secretary of State's resignation - Shelbynews - February 28th, 2021
- Iowa's bad election bill will stifle early voting, micromanage auditors - The Gazette - February 28th, 2021
- Letter: School voucher programs benefit the wealthy - The Republic - February 28th, 2021
- News - The Bankruptcy of Conservative Political Paternalism - The Heartland Institute - February 18th, 2021
- Rush Limbaugh galvanised and embodied the modern American right - The Economist - February 18th, 2021
- People Of Georgia's 14th Congressional Make Decision Who Will Occupy That Seat - Jamestown Post Journal - February 18th, 2021
- My Take: Here's a unity solution: Have one standard - HollandSentinel.com - February 18th, 2021
- 77 third-party candidates received more votes than the winner's margin of victory in 2020 Ballotpedia News - Ballotpedia News - January 29th, 2021
- Empathize with Trump voters? A Progressive and a Libertarian agree to disagree - KUOW News and Information - January 27th, 2021
- STATE: Constitution, Green parties no longer recognized in North Carolina - The Stanly News & Press | The Stanly News & Press - Stanly News... - January 27th, 2021
- Book Review: When A Libertarian Walks Into a Bear, nobody wins (except the reader) - NPI's Cascadia Advocate - January 27th, 2021
- Brennan: Intel Agencies To Probe The 'Bigots' Behind US 'Insurgency' - The Federalist - January 27th, 2021
- The politics of an Auschwitz survivors son - The Boston Globe - January 27th, 2021
- Sedition Cases Against Capitol Rioters 'Will Bear Fruit Very Soon,' Says FBI - Reason - January 27th, 2021
- Former GOP congressman urges Never Trumpers to join Libertarian Party - Washington Times - January 15th, 2021
- Letter to the editor: There are options to political dissatisfaction - Jacksonville Journal-Courier - January 15th, 2021
- The war between Silicon Valley and Washington takes a new turn - POLITICO - January 9th, 2021
- LETTER: Yukon the Libertarian friend of a reindeer? - The News Herald - January 1st, 2021
- 21 Things That Kept Me Going In 2020 - kottke.org - January 1st, 2021
- What Happened?: The 2020 election showed that libertarians have a long way to go before they can become a national movement. - USAPP American Politics... - December 29th, 2020
- My New Year's wish for Sarasotans - Sarasota Herald-Tribune - December 29th, 2020
- Splinter Republican representatives sign "termination of the state" document calling Sununu a 'tyrant' - Concord Monitor - December 29th, 2020
- Theres no right to infect - Sarasota Herald-Tribune - July 21st, 2020
- The Disastrous Handling of the Pandemic is Libertarianism in Action, Will Americans Finally Say Good Riddance? - CounterPunch - July 21st, 2020
- Justin Amash's Tenure as the Libertarian Party's First Member in Congress Will Be Shortlived - Reason - July 21st, 2020
- You don't have the right to put others at risk by not wearing a mask - Newsday - July 21st, 2020
- The Libertarian Case for Immigration (and Against Trump) - Lawfare - July 21st, 2020
- We have now reached peak Libertarianism and it is literally killing us - AlterNet - July 21st, 2020
- Ted Cruz: Future of conservatism is populist and libertarian - Washington Examiner - July 21st, 2020
- Are the British conformist or libertarian? Our face mask response is telling - The Guardian - July 21st, 2020
- Chad Blair: There's A High Bar For Legislative Candidates Without A - Honolulu Civil Beat - July 21st, 2020
- 3 highlights from Penn Jillette's Big Think interview on 2020, cancel culture, and friendship - Big Think - July 21st, 2020
- They praise John Lewis but hate Black voting rights and Black Lives Matter. - Mother Jones - July 21st, 2020
- Md. on the Hook for $27K in Legal Fees to Conservative Group - Josh Kurtz - July 21st, 2020
- Why Boris Johnson is having to sacrifice his libertarian values in the battle against coronavirus - Telegraph.co.uk - July 21st, 2020
- Weber Reaffirms Commitment to Preserving 2nd Amendment Rights - TAPinto.net - July 21st, 2020
- Your Illinois News Radar Longshot day at the ISBE - The Capitol Fax Blog - July 21st, 2020
- Those who claim wearing masks to be un-American haven't thought through the problem - KRWG - July 21st, 2020
- N.Y. Primary: Who Is on the Ballot? - The New York Times - June 22nd, 2020
- We Watched the Libertarian Party Vice Presidential Debate So You Didn't Have To - Reason - May 27th, 2020
- That Time the Libertarian Party Debated the Private Ownership of Nuclear Weapons - Reason - May 27th, 2020
- The truth about 'I'm with her' - CNN - May 27th, 2020
- You Dont Have to Like the Decree, But Wear Face Masks Anyway - Bacon's Rebellion - May 27th, 2020
- Justin Amash, Ross Perot and the third-party future: Ranked choice voting is the answer - Salon - May 27th, 2020
- An outbreak anywhere is an outbreak everywhere - Modern Diplomacy - May 14th, 2020
- Libertarian Party To Choose Its Presidential Ticket in Virtual Vote Over Memorial Day Weekend - Reason - May 11th, 2020
- Johnson address shows he has been swayed by hawks in his cabinet - The Guardian - May 11th, 2020
- Dershowitz Defends and Criticizes Flynn by Railing Against Entrapment and Fair-Weather Civil Libertarians - Law & Crime - May 11th, 2020
- Analysis: Reeves tries to balance concerns of health, jobs - Associated Press - May 11th, 2020
- Originalism, Common-Good Originalism, and Common-Good Constitutionalism - Reason - May 11th, 2020
- Libertarian, Green parties sue over Illinois election rules - The Southern - April 9th, 2020
- Lawsuit Filed by Green and Libertarian Parties Over Petitioning Issues Because of Stay at Home Order - wcsjnews.com - April 9th, 2020
- This Libertarian Country Defeated The Coronavirus With The Free Market - Patheos - April 9th, 2020
- Is Passover the Most Libertarian Holiday? - Reason - April 9th, 2020