Black Mirror is a show best known for its speculative storylines that focus on technology and its effects on society. For the most part, Black Mirror goes out of its way to find talented actors to make its fictional worlds and scenarios feel real.
In many cases, actors in Black Mirror have gone on to attain greater relevance, including in Hollywood. Nonetheless, not every role is so well-acted, and, as with any show, there are particular roles where the actor isn't up to the same standard.
10 Nailed It: Lenora Crichlow Sells Terror in "White Bear"
One of the show's earliest iconic episodes, "White Bear" tells the story of a woman who wakes up without her memories, hallucinating a girl she believes is her daughter. She is guided through a world where most people watch her, glued to their phones, and she is helped and menaced by an appearing and disappearing cast of characters.
The episode's twist changes everything: Crichlow's character is a criminal named Victoria Skillane, who recorded as her partner tortured children. The world she wakes up in is her prison, with spectators watching her be tortured for entertainment. Crichlow's performance puts viewers in the uncomfortable position of sympathizing with her character, especially as she screams, realizing her fate.
9 Fell Short: Wyatt Russell Fails To Stand Out In "Playtest"
"Playtest" features a drifter by the name of Cooper, accepting a one-off job playtesting a new virtual reality video game system, while also promising to capture pictures of the technology for a friend, Sonja. Ultimately, things malfunction, and he is apparently trapped within a potentially-lethal virtual reality simulation that he needs to free himself from.
The episode's writing is able to conjure up suitable chills for the episode's psychological horror tone, but ultimately Wyatt Russell fails to add to them. His acting isn't bad, but he does nothing to elevate the character's writing. Despite the episode's shock revelations, Cooper remains one of the most forgettable Black Mirror protagonists.
8 Nailed It: Daniel Kaluuya Becomes Bing In "Fifteen Million Merits"
One of several Black Mirror stars who would go on to appear in bigger projects, Daniel Kaluuya appears as Bing, the main character in "Fifteen Million Merits." After a generous gift to a friend sees her exploited, he grows disillusioned with his empty society. Bing gets himself onto the same talent show as his friend, before he gives a speech with the threat of suicide live on camera.
Denouncing both his society and Brooker's vision of our own in real life, Kaluuya sells Bing's fury and helpless rage perfectly. The scene is considered one of the finest in Black Mirror, and his performance makes it so memorable.
7 Fell Short: Anna Wilson-Jones Is Wasted In "The National Anthem"
Many shows open on a more subdued tone, but not Black Mirror, with its opening plotline of the Prime Minister being blackmailed into filming terrible acts. The Prime Minister and many of his team members are expertly played through the episode, bringing gravity and emotion to a potentially absurd scenario.
The one weak link within the cast is Anna Wilson-Jones as Jane Callow, the Prime Minister's wife. She isn't helped by the script, which gives her little to do, but ultimately she spends the episode either moderately distressed, or displaying quiet contempt for her husband, without any of the depth Wilson-Jones could have injected into the role.
6 Nailed It: Cristin Milioti Has Two Roles In "USS Callister"
"USS Callister" puts actress Cristi Milioti in an unusual situation. She plays two characters, both of whom are formed from the same person. She plays Nanette Cole, a new programmer at a company producing a virtual reality MMO game, and also a VR version of the same character, forcibly cloned and downloaded into a private build of the game.
Despite their identical natures, the two characters' different contexts see them act differently and rapidly evolve along different paths, with the VR version becoming more assertive. Nonetheless, Milioti is enjoyable and compelling as both of these comparable, yet different roles.
5 Fell Short: Aldis Hodge Leaves Little Impression As Jack In "Black Museum"
In the mini-anthology episode Black Museum, Aldis Hodge plays Jack, a man who allows his comatose wife to inhabit his mind, only for the two to fall out and for him to 'pause' her existence. Eventually, Jack gets a new girlfriend and transfers his wife into a toy monkey, which he discards.
Despite such initially noble acts, and eventually contemptible ones, Jack seems very similar throughout both. Aldis Hodge fails to truly portray a man going to such extremes, leaving the character only dislikable in a very real sense, not as an evil character.
4 Nailed It: Alex Lawther Achieves Sympathy For The Devil In "Shut Up & Dance," at least before its big shock reveal
"Shut Up and Dance" is another Black Mirror episode following a terrified character being subjected to torments, before a sudden reveal changes everything. In this case, Alex Lawther was acclaimed for his acting as Kenny, who is blackmailed into committing a series of crimes.
When he has earned the audience's sympathy, Kenny is suddenly outed as a sex offender of the worst kind, forcing the viewer to sharply confront their view of him and their sympathy. Nonetheless, Lawther delivers an unforgettable performance.
3 Fell Short: Rupert Everett Doesn't Exceed Shallow Parody In "Fifteen Million Merits"
As part of its scathing and barely-concealed critique of society, "Fifteen Million Merits" has those wishing to escape the drudgery of their life appear on talent shows run by abusive hosts who enjoy tearing into the contestants.
Rupert Everett plays one, Judge Hope, who is clearly a parody of talent show judge Simon Cowell. Rather than attempt any deep parody of Cowell, or branch the character out as a more predatory figure, or even somebody trapped in the same system as the others, Everett is content to simply sling melodramatic abuse, with a side of lechery.
2 Nailed It: Gugu Mbatha-Raw Delights In "San Junipero"
"San Junipero" is a rare happy episode for Black Mirror, with the episode's couple being united in a virtual afterlife reality after they both ultimately die. Gugu Mbatha-Raw portrays Kelly, a fun-loving and party girl who regularly visits the virtual San Junipero, eventually falling in love with Yorkie, who is revealed to be paralyzed and wishing to die so she can become a permanent resident.
Mbatha-Raw makes the character of Kelly sympathetic despite posing numerous obstacles to her own relationship with Yorkie. She's complex and struggles between her desire to stay with Yorkie and join her deceased husband in a 'true' death. Throughout, she is also simply a delight to watch, and the performance received acclaim.
1 Fell Short: Jason Flemyng Underwhelms As Jack Napier In "The Waldo Moment"
Despite considerable screentime as Jack Napier in "The Waldo Moment," and playing a pivotal role in the episode's events, Jason Flemyng doesn't seem to give the character much depth.
The villain of the piece, Napier, pressures Jamie to run for MP as a cartoon bear as a form of political protest, seemingly for a laugh, and as things get serious, he continues to show the same relative concern. Even as his actions begin to undermine democracy, all Napier seems to care about is making fun of the political system and winning fans, with no more to him than that.