"It's Important to Make Mistakes" Say Hello to Aaron Paul's Dispatch Character: Robert Robertson

One of the most effective methods for getting players to care about a protagonist in a game is to make that character’s journey relatable, and according to Dispatch‘s Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad, Westworld, BoJack Horseman), his character Robert Robertson is exactly that. After his mech-suit is destroyed in battle during a fight with his nemesis, Robertson—AKA Mecha Man —takes a job at a superhero dispatch center where he is forced to work with those who were once his foes. That alone makes for a compelling setup for Robertson’s arc in Dispatch, as it has the words “identity crisis” written all over it.

This is one of the main things that convinced Aaron Paul to sign onto Dispatch and fill the role of its main character, as he found Robertson to not only be an echo of his own story but of humanity in general. During a recent interview with Game Rant, Paul opened up about his role as Robert Robertson in the upcoming point-and-click narrative adventure, shedding some more light on the protagonist’s relatable journey.

Dispatch’s Aaron Paul Says Robert Robertson’s Journey Is One Anyone Can Relate To

Beginning with his role as the memorable Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad and moving on to play characters like Todd Chavez in BoJack Horseman and Caleb Nichols in Westworld, actor Aaron Paul is known for playing emotionally intense and vulnerable roles. Given Robertson’s unique position in Dispatch, then, Paul already seems like a great pick for the character, whose internal struggle is gradually exposed throughout the game’s narrative. When asked about what stood out to him about Robertson’s character arc, Paul explained:

“This is honestly one of the reasons why I leaned in. I always lean into characters that are dealing with a lot of internal junk—dealing with internal drama, trauma, and then learning to fight through that, deal with it and march forward, even though you have all of that inside. And I think that’s what this particular story does so well. It teaches you that it’s important to make mistakes. It is important to make mistakes, but it’s important to learn from those mistakes and grow because of those mistakes.”

Everyone makes mistakes, and if that is a key part of Robertson’s journey in Dispatch, then his story is immediately relatable. However, the key lesson Paul leans into here is not merely making those mistakes, but understanding the importance of making them, learning from them, and then growing on account of that.

Dispatch Aaron Paul Robert Robertson and Invisigal Laura Bailey Dialogue

With AdHoc Studio’s Dispatch being a choose-your-own adventure game, perhaps it will put players right into the thick of that process throughout its story. As they sit in the driver’s seat of Robert Robertson’s post-superhero arc, players are likely to be faced with present conflicts rooted in Robertson’s past choices. As the actor continued,

“Honestly, he is dealing with an internal mess. I think all of us are. I mean, if you don’t admit to it, then you’re in denial. But we’re all dealing with past circumstances, so I can definitely relate to that because everyone can. He’s dealing with a lot of post-trauma, and he’s just fighting a good fight and trying to persevere and march forward and learn from his past…It’s even more important to make mistakes than to have accomplishments, because you’re learning from your mistakes, and you can grow from your mistakes. It’s just about marching forward through those mistakes and becoming better because of them.”

Interestingly enough, there’s a bit of thematic overlap between Jesse Pinkman’s arc in Breaking Bad and Robert Robertson’s journey in Dispatch. Both characters are defined by internal conflict, guilt, and the search for redemption after losing a sense of who they are. Jesse spends much of Breaking Bad wrestling with the damage he’s caused and trying to reclaim his humanity, while Robertson in Dispatch faces a similar situation after being stripped of his identity as Mecha Man. In both cases, the character’s story is less about external victories and more about learning to confront failure, take responsibility, and grow.

Dispatch Aaron Paul Robert Robertson Jeffrey Wright Laura Bailey

Even Paul himself acknowledged that he gravitates toward characters “dealing with internal junk”—people burdened by trauma who are just trying to move forward in life. That description fits Jesse Pinkman perfectly, and from what Paul has said about Dispatch, it fits Robert Robertson, too. The difference, then, is in each medium’s tone. Where Breaking Bad is a tragedy, Dispatch appears to revolve around self-reflection with humorous undercurrents, turning that familiar emotional struggle into something that can provoke a smile.