Nick Robinson is trying to answer a question until he loses his train of thought. “I might need to get some more coffee,” he says, before bursting out into laughter. It’s a busy time for the fast-rising actor, who’s been on a constant upward trajectory since appearing in a long-running sitcom (Melissa & Joey) and major blockbusters (Jurassic World). In a year where the world remained stagnant, Robinson kept moving forward. His hectic schedule leaves little time to recharge, and in a metaphorical accident so on-the-nose, his phone dies in the middle of our conversation before we pick up where we left off a few minutes later.

Robinson is currently in Toronto filming the upcoming Netflix drama Maid starring Andie McDowell and Margaret Qualley, but he’s also been on our screens in the miniseries A Teacher as Eric, a high school senior who starts a relationship with his English teacher (played by Kate Mara). It’s an uncomfortable watch, as the show takes a nuanced approach to the relationship by directly addressing what it is: a flagrant abuse of power. (Each episode is bookended with warnings of grooming and a link to support for victims.) It all crystallizes in its