Familiar Faces in Black Mirror Season 3
Have you been watching the new season of Black Mirror on Netflix and thought “I recognise them from somewhere” And can’t quite place where from?
As well as upping the budget for production, Netflix has also used familiar faces from blockbusters such as Game of Thrones, Star Wars, Jurassic World.
I’ve listed the filmography of some of the most familiar faces from the newest 6 episodes. Rack your brain no more, I have it covered.
1. Nosedive
Bryce Dallas Howard
Place the Face: The Village, Jurassic World, The Help, Lady in the Water, Spiderman 3, Twilight. Often mistaken for Jessica Chastain.
This American actress plays a woman in a future world, who is obsessed with a popularity rating system which members of the public that you meet rate you out of 5 depending on that encounter. All members of society in this world have eye contacts which enable you to see others ratings, meaning it is basically visible social class at a glance of the person. She tries incredibly hard to be liked and to raise her rating score, but as the title suggests, her desperation means she cant handle the incredibly detached and pressurised world. This popularity rating system is similar to todays obsession with virtual ‘likes’ and our believed need in current society to be liked and valued by our peers. This episode is so scary, as it show how social media is damaging our perception of what gives a person real value in society, and the concept doesn’t seem too outlandish to imagine it happening in the future.
Alice Eve
Place the Face: Starter for Ten, Star Trek Into Darkness, Men in Black 3, Sex in the City 2
Naomi usually plays the ‘it’ girl in films, not too different from the role she plays in Black Mirror. Naomi plays the alter of Bryce in Nosedive, where she is the ultimate social ‘rating’ media star. She embodies the girl that seems to have the perfect life, and Lacie is invited to her wedding to be Maid of Honour — an oportunity she takes purely because she knows her ratings will dramatically improve.
Cherry Jones
Place the face: 24, Signs, The Village (alongside Dallas), Oceans Twelve
Cherry has starred alongside Bryce Dallas Howard in The Village, playing a part in another alternate reality feature, where this society sheilds theirselves from the crime and squalor of the outside. In this episode, Susan embodies humanity as a woman who has decided to rebel against living her life according to the rating system.
2. Playtest
Wyatt Russel
Place the face: 22 Jump Street, Cowboys and Aliens, Everybody wants some!!, The Walking Dead
Wyatt’s family history is that rooted in Hollywood, his parents and granparents all actors. The American actor has mainly featured in comedies, however shows his adaptability in Black Mirror by playing a man who has fled to travel the world to escape his grieving mother, of whom he cant seem to talk or connect with following the tragic death of his father. In the episode, he is used as a guinea pig to test out a new gaming technology which uses your own brain to find what would scare you during gameplay, but of course, it wouldnt be black mirror if it didnt go terribly wrong.
3. Shut Up and Dance
Alex Lawther
Place the face: The Imitation Game, Holby City
Alex stars alongside Benedict Cumberbach in The Imitation Game (2014), a story of the invention of computers during the second world war. At the age of only 16, he made his debut at Chichester Festival Theatre, and is quickly building up a legacy due to his brilliant acting talent. In Black Mirror, he plays a young boy who is victim of cyberhackers who video on him through his webcam, and bribe him with the evidence. But, of course, there is a twisty ending which takes the complexity of his character to another level, and makes you question who has the moral upper hand.
Jerome Flynn
Place the face: Game of Thrones, Ripper Street, Soldier Soldier
Flynn is a british actor and singer who I knew straight away that I’d seen him before in Game of Thrones where he plays Bronn. He has aslo starred in british TV classics such as Casualty.
5. Men Against Fire
Madeline Brewer
Place the face: For me, the most notable place I recognised her from was Orange is the New Black where she plays Tricia.
Michael Kelly
Place the face: House of Cards, Changeling, Now You See Me, The Adjustment Bureau, Law Abiding Citizen, Unbreakable, Chronicle just to name a few!
Kelly is an American actor who actually studied Law at university — which ties in his acting nicely seeing as he usually lands the part of the (corrupt) detective. He also is seen talking in the teaser trailer for the new Black Mirror series, ‘Welcome to the Darkness’ which is as chilling as you can expect for the episodes.
6. Hated In The Nation
Kelly MacDonald
Place the face: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Brave, No Country for Old Men, Trainspotting, Nanny McPhee, Finding Neverland, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
This actress is recognisable for her strong scottish accent. She made her debut when landing the role of Diane in Trainspotting alongside Ewan McGregor (she saw a leaflet advertising the role whilst working as a waitress) and from then has gone on to star in many big productions, landing her a nomination for a BAFTA award, and winning an Emmy in 2011.
Faye Marsay
Place the face: Game of Thrones, Need for Speed, Pride, My Mad Fat Diary, Fresh Meat, Doctor Who
Faye is an English actress most recognisable for playing ‘The Waif’ in Game of Thrones, where she stars alongside Maisie Williams (Arya Stark).
Benedict Wong
Place the face: Marco Polo, The Martian, Prometheus, Law & Order, IT Crowd
Benedict is from Manchester and has heritage in Hong Kong. He started his acting career in 2007, and has since been nominated for the British Independant Film Awards for Best Supporting Actor, and West End Frame for most dramatic performance. His biggest recognition will be from another Netflix series, Marco Polo, where he plays a Mongol emperor (grandson of Genghis Khan!)
Black Mirror is a chilling sci-fi series, which uses dark, satirical humour to comment on the social, technology obsessed world we live in. A must watch for everyone!