Ted Kaczynski, the man known to many as the Unabomber, was an American domestic terrorist who carried out a nationwide bombing campaign between 1978 and 1995. When I was younger, I remember hearing about Kaczynski’s horrendous actions and his eventual capture at his remote cabin located outside Lincoln, Montana. What many people don’t remember about Ted is that he was a gifted mathematician with a complex mind in desperate need of guidance and understanding. In Janus Metz’s Unabomber, Jacob Tremblay plays Kaczynski as a genius tortured by academia and the monsters who would push someone to their limits if it meant getting their name in history books. It’s a fascinating film with nuanced performances, twisted methods, and dark consequences.
Recently, we spoke with cast members of Metz’s Unabomber, including Jacob Tremblay, Shailene Woodley, and Annabelle Wallis, who helped bring Kaczynski’s terrifying story to life.
While speaking with Tremblay, we discussed his approach to playing Kaczynski and what drew him to the sinister role. While investigating Ted’s duality from a young and impressionable student to a calculated, plotting mind, Tremblay takes us behind the scenes of some of the film’s most intense sequences. Meanwhile, Wallis dissects her character’s nurturing exterior and underlying manipulation. We find out what motivated her performance and what she thinks of her character’s selfish actions.
Finally, we talk with Shailene Woodley about Joanne Miller, the agent whose steadfast detective work led to Kaczynski’s capture. She breaks down the character’s origin and talks about working on a film with two separate timelines.
I reviewed Unabomber for the site, giving the film a 7 out of 10. In my analysis of this warped and hostile movie, I said that Unabomber “is a fascinating portrait of a killer whose ideologies are as twisted as his mind. If the film stumbles anywhere, it’s in the moments when tension leaves the room, allowing you to breathe. I understand the need for a respite, but I found myself wanting to be suffocated. Structurally, the shift between Ted’s early years and his eventual capture is seamless and well-executed. I wasn’t sure what to expect from Unabomber, but when the credits rolled, I found myself riveted by Metz’s take on one of North America’s most notorious madmen.”
Unabomber is available to stream on Netflix.