To Kill a Mockingbird's Nick Robinson on His 'Full Circle Moment' Broadway Debut & the Coolest Part of Making Love, Simon

Nick Robinson, who's best known for his roles in hit movies like 2018's Love, Simon and 2015's Jurassic World, is currently making his Broadway debut as Jem Finch in Aaron Sorkin's adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird. However, this isn't his first time playing Scout's protective and idealistic older brother in Harper Lee's classic American story. When he was 12 years old, Robinson made his stage debut playing Jem in playwright Christopher Sergel's adaptation of Mockingbird at Seattle's Intiman Theatre, where Bartlett Sher—helmer of Sorkin's Broadway version—served as artistic director. After being bitten by the acting bug in 2007, Robinson went on to star in a Disney TV movie (Frenemies), a Sundance indie film (The Kings of Summer), an ABC Family series (Melissa & Joey), a weepy YA romance (Everything, Everything), those previously mentioned blockbusters and more. Now, the 24-year-old actor is getting back to his theater roots and sharing a Broadway stage with To Kill a Mockingbird's new cast members, including Ed Harris as Atticus Finch, Nina Grollman as Scout and Taylor Trensch as Dill. Broadway.com sat down with Robinson to discuss his already eclectic career, what he admires most about Jem, his pop culture fascinations and more.

No Place Like Home
Growing up in Queen Anne, a Seattle neighborhood known for being a cultural hub and home to the iconic Space Needle, Robinson's dedication to exploring and playing make-believe seamlessly led to his interest in acting. "I grew up going outdoors a lot, and being in nature, and allowed the freedom to have this big imagination," he says. "I spent a lot of time building worlds out of Legos and things. I found myself drawn towards performing relatively early. My first role was the Monkey King in The Wiz, and I knocked them dead [laughs]." In addition to Sergel's Mockingbird and The Wiz, Robinson played Patrick Dennis in The 5th Avenue Theatre's production of Mame and appeared in A Christmas Carol at A Contemporary Theatre (ACT). "I don't know what it was exactly. It came very naturally to me," he says about performing. "I'd already spent a lot of my time pretending. This was just a natural extension of that."

You Get To Exhale Now
Robinson earned buzz for his performances in The Kings of Summer, Jurassic World and Everything, Everything, but it was his role as Simon Spier, a closeted gay high schooler who doesn't know the identity of the anonymous classmate he's fallen for online, in Fox 2000 Pictures' Love, Simon that launched him to fame and garnered him an MTV Movie & TV Award, a Human Rights Campaign Ally for Equality Award and a Teen Choice Award. "When we were making Love, Simon, there was always a sense that there was a lot of love in that project," he says. "At the time, we had a lot of discussions about whether or not it was right for me to be playing that part." [Robinson identifies as straight.] "There was some anxiety around that, but once the film actually came out, and we started to see the reactions of audiences on social media, this groundswell of support, all of that went out the window," he adds. "The coolest part of the film was not actually making it, but seeing how people embraced it and made their own experience, and their own thing out of it. It's their movie now, and that's been the coolest part."

Actor, Traveler, Curmudgeon
Even though he's part of the millennial generation and does have active Twitter and Instagram accounts, Robinson isn't devoted to maintaining his social media presence. "In terms of pop culture things, I could be a...what's the word? Troglodyte, maybe? [laughs]. There've been times where I feel older than I am," he says. "I've tried to find some kind of balance in pop culture, and social media, and my own life. Sometimes that just means shutting it out completely." To burn off some steam and take his mind off work, his hobbies include photography ("Something that I'll pick up and put down"), woodworking ("Lasted a couple of months, produced a couple of things, nothing that I would want to show anyone"), traveling ("It's a reset button, a wonderful, mind-broadening experience") and, of course, going to the movies. "I just saw Honey Boy. I've always found Shia LaBeouf to be an incredibly fascinating person," he says. "The way that he's been so forthright about his experiences, and the struggles that he's gone through in his life. The way that he's made his whole life this performance art piece is fascinating."

A Person’s Conscience
One thing you can pick up on if you go through Robinson's social media is his passion for politics and activism. "There are certain things that I feel should be nonpartisan issues," he says. "Getting young people to vote and get involved in the political process. Climate change. There's this weird partisan divide there, but that should be a no-brainer. It's insane that it's a controversial topic." It's that eagerness to stick up for what's right that he respects most about the character he plays in Mockingbird. "There's a lot to admire about Jem. He's a very truthful character. He's got a lot of heart," he says. "Jem has this very strong sense of the world, a moral compass, a sense of right and wrong. He has the moxie to stick by his beliefs, and fight for them, and be outspoken. Jem is the voice of a lot of the frustrations that I think even the audience has towards Atticus, towards his inability to call out these racist and terrible acts that are going on for what they are. Sometimes what is necessary is to take a stand, and say, 'No, enough is enough.'"

Star On Broadway ✔️
As an actor who started out doing community theater, Robinson has been thinking about performing on the Great White Way for a long time. But he wanted to find the right role in the right show at the right time. Of course, he never anticipated having such a "full circle moment" with To Kill a Mockingbird. "Broadway has definitely been a bucket list item. Theater was where I first discovered acting, and it was something that I wanted to get back to for a long time," he says. "I wanted to try and stretch this muscle that I haven't worked in a long time, and challenge myself, and be a part of this incredible cast and crew, and this incredible show. I couldn't have asked for it to work out any better than it did, and I'm just very happy to be a part of this production." Robinson has worked with so many amazing actors in his still-burgeoning career and cites both Chris Pratt and Nick Offerman as role models when it comes to how to treat people at work, but it seems like his current mentor is teaching him new lessons. "In terms of process, Ed Harris is pretty remarkable," he says. "After having the career that he's had, and to still have that fire, and passion, and drive is incredibly inspiring."

Photos by Caitlin McNaney | Video directed by Kyle Gaskell | Video edited by Mark Hayes