Why Black Mirror avoided Comedian Casting in the early seasons

Netflix’s “Black Mirror” lifetime makes headlines constantly for its starry cast. The largest famous cameo in a chapter was Miley Cyrus’s semi-Meta role probably in season 5But perhaps the most surprising celebrities to display were the ones best known for being funny. Season 7 included Rashida Jones of the fame of “Parks and Recreation”, Chris O’Dowd of “The It Crowd,” Cristin MiliTi from “How I Met Your Mother,” Awkafafina of “Nora of Queens,” ISSA RAE O “Insecure,” etc. A show known for being bleak and serious is now routinely led by actors known for their Sitanigans comedy.

It is a major change from Channel 4’s early seasons of “Black Mirror,” where the lead actors were always best known for their previous dramatic roles. Some of this change is a natural result for a “black mirror” becoming a popular show with virtually unlimited casting options, but part of it is simply because the showers of the show are relaxing.

In the A book behind the scenes “Inside Black Mirror,” Published in 2018, executive producer Annabel Jones talked about the mood that the show was trying to take for the first episode of the series, “The National Anthem.” As he explained:

“In the casting and production design, this had to be as real as it could be. So we were wonderful to have Rory Kinnear as Prime Minister Michael Callow. I anti -to -cast any comedy actors in Black mirror. At the outset, this approach felt essential, because we needed this not to feel like a comedy. Charlie’s history, and the perception of it in the UK, was a comedy writer, so he could have tipped too far that way. “

It makes sense that this was the show worried about it in its first season. Before “Black Mirror,” shower Charlie Brooker was best known for writing comedy series such as “Newswipe” or “Nathan Barley.” When the “Black Mirror” pilot included the Prime Minister forced to have sex with a pig In order to save a member of the royal family, the first assumption that most of the British audience could have had was that this was supposed to be funny.

Granted, “The National Anthem” is still a kind of funny (especially when you write down the plot), but for most viewers, the main feeling they get from the chapter is terror and despair. Part of that is because of how deadly all actors involved play the situation, and part of it is due to the complete level of Brooker restraint given in his script. The long -time comedy writer had to stop every funny instinct in his body to remove the episode. As Brooker explained:

“There are probably more jokes in the original script. In one scene, the porn star rod has a conversation with the Prime Minister, but his strange humorous mood felt mistaken. At that point in the story, the milk had already curled and the tone had already gone all gone to harass and heavily. to put the First Minister to give the First Minister.

But despite the apparent reluctance of Jones and Brooker to hire comed actors in those first few seasons, actors with comedy on their resumes began to showcase more and more as “Black Mirror” went on. By the time Awkwafina appeared in a big role in season 7The constant presence of the comedy actors had become a new norm.

What changed the showns’ thoughts about hiring comedy actors? It seems primarily as the fact that since the show blown up in popularity after Netflix purchased the rights, Charlie Brooker has no longer a reputation as a comedy writer. After 2016, Brooker has been known primarily as a dark and winding sci-fi artist, to the point where many new viewers are surprised to find that he used to write a simple comedy. These days, Brooker does not have to prove that he can make a striking sci-fi play. It can relax a little and stop resisting the urge to throw more jokes, more light endings.

In a few interviews over the years, Brooker addressed the show’s growing edge by indicating that he was changing necessary speed. The “Black Mirror” team had to break from the constant cynicism of the earlier seasons, not only because they had a new international audience, but because at a certain point, fans are tired of leaving each episode with a pool in their stomachs.

“I was aware that we’re going on a platform -eag now, so we have to make these stories a little more internationally,” Brooker said in a 2020 panel (via VIA The independent). “And I wanted to mix it a little, because not only keep doing bleak-and-tons.”