In The Trial of the Chicago 7, we first meet Jerry Rubin as he teaches a group of students how to make a Molotov cocktail with a hint of a smirk. In Aaron Sorkin’s film about the 1968 Democratic Convention, Rubin and Abbie Hoffman are played mostly for comic relief with Jeremy Strong portraying activist Rubin as a stoned, second fiddle to Hoffman.

The Netflix movie focuses narrowly on what led to the riots at the convention and the following courtroom antics, so we’re seeing just a slice of Rubin’s life—though it is the part which brought him the most attention.