Carly Chaikin

Carly Chaikin is an American actress. Her acting career began in 2009 and she received her breakout role two years later, co-starring as Dalia Royce in the ABC sitcom Suburgatory. She played the role until the series' cancellation in 2014, and one year later began playing the role of Darlene in the USA Network thriller drama series Mr. Robot.

Early life Chaikin was born in Santa Monica, California, to a cardiologist father and a psychotherapist mother. She was raised Jewish and has a sister.

She attended The Archer School for Girls and the New Roads School.

Career

2009–2011: Early career Chaikin knew she wanted to be an actress since she was 11. During high school, she decided to forgo college and dedicate herself to acting.

2011–2014: Early television work and Suburgatory In 2011, Chaikin was cast as Dalia Oprah Royce in the ABC sitcom Suburgatory alongside Jeremy Sisto and Cheryl Hines. Chaikin's character, Dalia, was the mean girl to Jane Levy's Tessa, Her performance received universal acclaim; she quickly became a fan favorite and her performance a popular highlight of the show. Chaikin originally auditioned for the role of Tessa. Chaikin wrote a series of articles as her character, Dalia, for the magazine, Parade. As her character, Dalia, she shot a music video called "You Missed A Spot." In 2013, Chaikin was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in Suburgatory and was discussed as a potential Emmy nomination. The series ended its run on May 14, 2014.

Chaikin appeared in the 2012 independent film My Uncle Rafael starring John Michael Higgins.

2014–2019: Mr. Robot In September 2014, Chaikin was cast in the USA Network TV series, Mr. Robot, starring Rami Malek ("Elliot") and Christian Slater ("Mr. Robot"). She plays the programmer Darlene, one of the show's central characters, who is a member of the fsociety group and writes malicious rootkit code. Chaikin auditioned for the roles of both Angela and Darlene. She said that it was a great pilot and that the bad-ass nature of the character really appealed to her. Mr. Robot has received widespread critical acclaim. At the 2015 SXSW film festival, the show won the Audience Award for Episodic TV shows. Chaikin was a series regular for all four seasons of Mr. Robot.

During the five years Chaikin was involved with Mr. Robot, she also appeared in three independent films, the 2015 thriller Bad Blood, the 2017 comedy People You May Know, and the 2018 rom-com Social Animals, as well as filmed the currently unreleased film Last Moment of Clarity. In 2015, Chaikin guest-starred on Marc Maron's TV show, Maron, as Tina, a college teaching assistant whom Marc's friend (played by Adam Goldberg) has slept with. In 2019, she was featured in the New Years episode of Hulu's horror anthology Into the Dark. Additionally, Chaikin has been a guest judge on Project Runway two times; in season 15 (2016) and season 16 (2017).

2020s In February 2021, it was announced that Chaikin was developing her television series Messy with Miramax TV, with Chaikin writing, starring, and also showrunning with producer Liz Brixius.

Personal life Chaikin is also a painter, focusing on acrylics and oil, with some mixed media collage.

In 2012 she had 11 tattoos, one of which features song lyrics by Bob Dylan.

Chaikin has been involved with the charitable organization National Alliance on Mental Illness, which conducts research and support for people and their families impacted by mental illness. She served as emcee of NAMIWalks in both 2016 and 2017, as well as raising money for the organization and matching incoming donations. She has recorded public service announcements for the group.

On September 3, 2018, Chaikin announced that she was engaged to her longtime boyfriend, television director Ryan Bunnell. The two wed in November 2021 and lived in Los Angeles together. In February 2023 Bunnell filed for divorce from Chaikin, citing irreconcilable differences.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2009 The Consultants Veronica 2010 The Last Song Blaze 2011 Escapee Lynne Petersen 2012 My Uncle Rafael Kim 2013 In a World... Excruciating 2015 Bad Blood Frances 2017 People You May Know Oakley 2018 Social Animals Claire 2020 Last Moment of Clarity Kat 2022 Daniel's Gotta Die Jessica Powell

Television Year Title Role Notes 2011–2014 Suburgatory Dalia Royce Main cast; 50 episodes 2012 Harder Than It Looks Katie 2 episodes: "Sisters" and "The Tutors" 2012 NTSF:SD:SUV:: Brittany Episode: "16 Hop Street" 2015 Maron Tina Episode: "Professor of Desire" 2015–2019 Mr. Robot Darlene Alderson Main cast; 44 episodes 2019 Into the Dark Danielle Williams Episode: "New Year, New You"

Shorts and web series Year Title Role Notes 2012 Harder Than It Looks Katie Web series; 2 episodes 2012 Nowhere to Go Austyn short film; also writer and executive producer 2013 Happy Fucking Birthday Maddy McDowell short film 2014 Dissonance Julia short film; also producer 2014 Literally Hello Giggles shorts short film; also writer, executive producer and editor

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominated work Result 2013 13th FirstGlance Film Fest Hollywood Best Shorts Too Nowhere to Go 3rd Critics' Choice Television Awards Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Suburgatory 15th Teen Choice Awards Choice TV: Villain