Jacob Tremblay on Playing Ted Kaczynski in Netflix’s Unabomber
Canadian actor Jacob Tremblay stars as a young Ted Kaczynski in the Netflix film Unabomber, directed by Janus Metz, which dropped on September 25. The 19-year-old actor explores the complex intersection of early intellectual prodigy, psychological trauma, and historical experimentation at Harvard University before the subject’s decades-long domestic terror campaign.
Transforming Into a Mathematical Prodigy and Young Academic
Making any direct parallel between a cherubic former child star known for feel-good titles like Good Boys and a mass-murdering ecoterrorist feels uncomfortable. Yet Tremblay bridges that gap himself when discussing his approach to the role. According to his interview remarks promoting the Netflix feature, he found an unexpected entry point into the psychology of Ted Kaczynski. “I really had a hard time relating to Ted for the most part. But once I was there on set — the script is written so beautifully, of course you can really feel empathetic towards this guy,” Tremblay states.
Kaczynski entered Harvard University as a gifted mathematics student at the age of 16, later becoming, at the time, the youngest-ever assistant professor at the University of California, Berkeley. That unusual trajectory created an immediate point of connection for the young actor. “What I found, and what I really held on to, was the idea of being the youngest person in the room,” Tremblay explains. “You know, in this industry, I’m also often the youngest person there. So I could kind of relate to that feeling of awkwardness and not really fitting in.”
Unpacking the MK-Ultra Connection and Russell Crowe Dynamic
The narrative focus of Janus Metz’s film centers heavily on Kaczynski’s formative collegiate years, a period tangled in the controversial psychological experiments of Harvard psychologist Henry Murray, portrayed by Russell Crowe. Murray selected vulnerable young students like Kaczynski as subjects for top-secret experiments influenced by Cold War mind-control objectives. Subjects were subjected to severe, personally abusive critiques designed to break down their self-worth.
Director Janus Metz explained the thematic structure of the project to Netflix, noting that the production crosscuts between two distinct timelines: the making of the Unabomber and the subsequent FBI manhunt. Alongside Crowe, the ensemble cast features Shailene Woodley as FBI agent Joanne Miller, who uncovers the link between Kaczynski’s troubled background and his later campaign of violence. Annabelle Wallis appears as Christiana Morgan, alongside Alexander Ludwig, Steven Ogg, and Marc Menchaca. The screenplay was written by Sam Chalsen and Nelson Greaves, with Sophie Cassidy producing for 2.0 Entertainment in association with MRC.
The Industry Reckoning Surrounding Child Stardom
The release of Unabomber arrives alongside active industry debates regarding the welfare and protection of minors in entertainment. Following the overdose death of former child actor Hayden Panettiere earlier in the year, Canadian actor Alison Pill published a New York Times op-ed characterizing child acting as extractive, exploitative, and nonconsensual while calling for a total ban.
Tremblay’s filmography reflects an intentional push to avoid typecasting, shifting fluidly across genres from his early breakout in Room to his recent role as a boy manipulated into armed resistance in Sovereign. For the young actor, the core takeaway of Unabomber remains tied to the treatment of impressionable minds. Characterizing the film’s message, Tremblay emphasizes the importance of treating children with love and teaching them value, noting that a lack of emotional support can ultimately foster destructive paths.
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