Black Mirror: Stars who participated in the dystopian series

'Black Mirror' is a successful anthology series that first appeared on British Channel 4 in 2011 and has been on Netflix since 2016. Each episode is an individual story, a short film almost, and we can watch them in any order we want.

What has gotten people hooked on 'Black Mirror' are its futuristic and dystopian subjects, filmed through a critical social lens. After each chapter, you are left reflecting on human nature, conscience, and justice. What's more, some of the series' early predictions (about artificial intelligence or social media) have come close to being real today!

Although it's been around since 2011, 'Black Mirror' has only had six seasons - including the latest in June 2023. Over time, celebrities have appeared in the series who, perhaps, back then, were not as famous as they are today. The same goes for famous directors and scriptwriters joining the 'Black Mirror' team. Let's see if we can refresh your memory or surprise you with their names!

Hayley Atwell's 'Black Mirror' experience was in the first episode of the second season: 'Be Right Back'. She would later become famous with the role of Peggy Carter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe - specifically the series 'Agent Carter' (2015 - 2016) and the 'Captain America' and 'Avengers' sagas. The actress is also to appear in the last two installments of 'Mission: Impossible'.

Little-known back then, Daniel Kaluuya was in the second episode of the first season of 'Black Mirror.' The talented English actor would later be nominated for an Oscar for 'Get Out' (2018) and win the award for his masterful performance in 'Judas and the Black Messiah' (2021).

Scriptwriter Jesse Armstrong, the creator of one of TV's most acclaimed series in recent years, wrote the third episode of the first season of 'Black Mirror': 'The Entire History of You'. He would then go on to write 'Succession.'

And yes! Sarah Snook, 'Succession's' very own Shiv also made her way through 'Black Mirror.' She appeared in episode 5 of season 3, 'Men Against Fire'. Having completed an amazing performance in 'Succession,' she is also starring in the film 'Run Rabbit Run' (2023).

This English actor has a long career in both film and television. You probably remember him from the film 'My Best Friend's Wedding' with Julia Roberts, but there are many more series and movies to his name. Rupert Everett appeared in one of the early episodes of 'Black Mirror' -  ‘Fifteen Million Merits,' episode 2 of season 1.

While slowly gaining recognition as an actress with big films like 'The Help' (2011), 'Rocketman' (2019), and 'Jurassic World' (2015/18/22), Bryce Dallas Howard also worked on a 'Black Mirror' episode: the first of season 3, 'Nosedive'.

Jon Hamm, recognized for his role as Don Draper in the series 'Mad Men' (2007 - 2015), made an appearance in 'Black Mirror' in 2014. The episode from season 2 is called 'White Christmas,' and it deals with two men who try to manipulate women with the latest technology. At least in 'Mad Men,' Hamm's character used his own pickup skills!

Rashida Jones was also in 'Black Mirror' but not as an actress. She is a talented screenwriter who co-wrote the episode 'Nosedive' - the one starring Bryce Dallas Howard. Of course, we've seen her in completely different series, such as 'The Office' (Karen) and 'Parks and Recreation' (Ann Perkins).

Jesse Plemons is a familiar face by now. He was nominated for an Oscar for 'The Power of the Dog' (2022), but he also appeared in other great films, such as 'The Irishman' (2019), 'El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie' (2019), ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’ (2021), ‘Jungle Cruise’ (2021), and ‘Love & Death’ (2023). In 2017, he starred in the episode 'USS Callister' (S4, E1) of 'Black Mirror'. 

The legendary Jodie Foster from 'Silence of the Lambs' directed an episode of 'Black Mirror' in 2017. The episode 'Arkangel' (S4, E2) is about a single mother who has trouble keeping track of her children. To fix the problem, she installs a child monitoring system via implants. 

Rosemarie DeWitt played the mother in Jodie Foster's episode 'Arkangel.' She's been around Hollywood for two decades, playing the title role in the film 'Rachel Getting Married' (2008) while also appearing in 'La La Land' (2016) and series such as 'Standoff' (2006-07), 'The United States of Tara' (2009-11), and 'Little Fires Everywhere' (2020), among many others. 

This English actor participated in the first episode of 'Black Mirror's first season called 'The National Anthem'. He also appeared in 'Quacks' (2017), 'Penny Dreadful' (2014-16), and 'The Diplomat' (2023), and you may remember him as the MI6 spy Bill Tanner in four James Bond movies, from 'Quantum of Solace' (2008) to 'No Time to Die' (2021).

This Irish actor appeared in the second episode of 'Black Mirror's second season in 2013. Since then, we've also seen him in 'About Time' (2013), 'The Revenant' (2015), 'Star Wars' (2017-19), 'Run' (2020 series), and ' White House Plumbers' (2023), among many others.

Well, no introduction is needed here, not today nor at the time she was in 'Black Mirror!' The anthology series quickly became so popular that celebrities were happy to participate in it. Miley Cyrus starred in episode 3 of the fifth season called 'Rachel, Jack, and Ashley Too.'

Tuppence Middleton is known for series like 'Sense8' (2015-18) and films like 'The Imitation Game' (2014), 'Mank' (2020), and Downton Abbey' (2019-22). She was on the second episode of 'Black Mirror's second season, ‘White Bear.’

Chloe Pirrie is a familiar face on the small screen, having appeared in numerous hit series. Some of them are ‘The Game’ (2014), ‘The Crown’ (2017), ‘The Queen's Gambit’ (2020), ‘Under the Banner of Heaven’ (2022), and ‘Carnival Row’ (2019-23). In 'Black Mirror,' she was in the third episode of the second season: ‘The Waldo Moment’.

Let's see if the name Eric Forman tells you something... Yes, he's one of the unforgettable protagonists of 'That '70s Show'! Topher Grace also starred in films like 'The Calling' (2014), 'Interstellar (2014), 'BlacKkKlansman' (2018), and in an episode of 'Black Mirror' where he's the CEO of a social media platform called 'Smithereen' (S5, E2).

We saw her as Talissa Stark in the epic series 'Game of Thrones' (2012 - 13), but Oona Chaplin also appeared in 'Sherlock' (2012), 'The Hour' (2011 - 2012), and 'Treason' (2022), among others. In 'Black Mirror,' she appears alongside Jon Hamm in 'White Christmas.'

Joe Wright is a director acclaimed for films such as 'Pride & Prejudice' (2005), 'Atonement' (2007), 'The Soloist' (2009), 'Anna Karenina' (2012), 'Darkest Hour' (2017), and 'The Woman in the Window' (2020). He also had his directorial stint on 'Black Mirror' in the episode 'Nosedive', starring Bryce Dallas Howard and written by Rashida Jones.

A familiar face, though perhaps not a familiar name, Gugu Mbatha-Raw appeared in numerous successful films such as 'Beauty and the Beast' (2017) and 'Come Away' (2020), in addition to series like 'The Morning Show' (2019) and ‘Loki’ (2021). She starred in the 'Black Mirror' episode 'San Junipero' (S3, E4) where she fell in love with Mackenzie Davis.

This rising star appeared in the series 'Station Eleven' (2021-22), 'Halt and Catch Fire' (2014-17), besides blockbuster films like 'Blade Runner 2049' (2017) and 'Terminator: Dark Fate' (2019). In 2016, she appeared in the 'Black Mirror' episode 'San Junipero.'

Falcon in Marvel's 'Avengers' saga, Anthony Mackie also made an appearance in a 'Black Mirror' episode: ‘Striking Vipers’, the first of the fifth season. Other works on his resume are 'The Woman in the Window' (2020), 'We Have a Ghost' (2023), and the series 'Altered Carbon' (2020).

In 2007, Macdonald had a role in the award-winning 'No Country for Old Men', while she also starred in 'Nanny McPhee' in 2005. As for 'Black Mirror,' she appeared in episode 6 of the third season: 'Hated in the Nation'.

Michaela Coel recently won an Emmy as a writer of the series 'I May Destroy You' (2020), in which she also played the lead role. Her fame further rose with 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’  (2022). In 2017, she had already appeared in the legendary 'Black Mirror' anthology (S4, E1, 'U.S.S. Callister.').

This American actor appears alongside Michaela Coel and Jesse Plemons in 'Black Mirror's episode 1 of the fourth season. He is known for his character William in the hit series 'Westworld' (2016-20) and also starred in 'Unsolved' (2018) and 'Pachinko' (2022), among others. 

This 2023 Oscar-nominated actress for the film 'To Leslie' (2022), also passed through 'Black Mirror,' in episode 3 of season 4 titled 'Crocodile'.

On June 15, 2023, the sixth season of 'Black Mirror' appeared on Netflix. It features actors such as Salma Hayek, Michael Cera, Himesh Patel, Aaron Paul, Kate Mara, Josh Hartnett, and Rory Culkin, among others. As you can see, the stars love to participate in this excellent series!