25 Stars You Forgot Were on ‘Black Mirror’ – ryan

Daniel Kaluuya

In 2011, Get Out star Daniel Kaluuya starred in what many people still consider to be one of the best Black Mirror episodes of all time, “15 Million Merits” from season 1.

The actor, also known for his roles in Black Panther and Nope, played a man who lives in a society where people earn money by spending all day cycling stationary exercise bikes.

Jon Hamm

In 2014, Jon Hamm played the lead role in Black Mirror’s only holiday special, “White Christmas.”

The episode, which explores themes of artificial intelligence and being able to “block” people in real life, is set in a remote, snow-covered outpost where the Mad Men star shares creepy stories from his past — one of which involves picking up women using implanted technology.

Bryce Dallas Howard

In 2016, Jurassic World’s Bryce Dallas Howard led the season 3 episode “Nosedive,” which takes place in a world where everyone rates each other after every single interaction.

The better a person’s social rating, the more luxurious lifestyle they’re allotted. An obvious poke at society’s social media obsession, Howard told The Hollywood Reporter that the mass-approval version of reality her character is in is “really only one click away.” 

Jesse Plemons

In 2017, Jesse Plemons kicked off the series’ fourth season with its first episode, “USS Callister.”

The Breaking Bad actor starred as an awkward, overlooked video game programmer named Robert Daly who abuses his power on digital clones of his real-life coworkers he created for a modded version of their game.

Michaela Coel

British actress Michaela Coel, best known for her role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, also appeared in “USS Callister” as Shania Lowry, one of Daly’s co-workers he replicates and tortures inside his version of the game.

The episode went on to win four Primetime Emmy awards in 2018.

Cristin Milioti

Cristin Milioti starred in both “USS Callister” and its sequel “USS Callister: Into Infinity,” which aired in Black Mirror’s seventh season in 2025.

The 90-minute episode is a spinoff following her character, Nanette Cole, as she fights to save herself both in and outside the game.

Letitia Wright

In 2017, Letitia Wright starred in Black Mirror’s season 4 finale, “Black Museum.” The episode follows her character, Nish, who visits a roadside attraction for medical artifacts with horrifying backstories (including a novelty item where people can repeatedly execute a convicted criminal for fun).

The actress told Gold Derby that she filmed her audition tapes for the series with her Blank Panther costar Kaluuya while they were filming the 2018 Marvel movie in Atlanta.

Will Poulter

Will Poulter made his Black Mirror debut in the 2018 interactive film Bandersnatch about a young programmer whose reality unravels as he adapts a fantasy novel into a video game.

The We’re the Millers actor reprised his role as game designer Colin Ritman in the 2025 episode “Plaything,” which takes place in the same universe as Bandersnatch and continues exploring themes of free will in the age of artificial intelligence.  

Anthony Mackie

In 2019, Anthony Mackie starred in the premiere episode of Black Mirror’s fifth season, titled “Striking Vipers.” The story follows two old friends who reconnect in an immersive virtual reality fighting game where players feel everything their characters do — and find themselves crossing the boundaries of their once platonic relationship.

The Captain America star told The Hollywood Reporter that he loved how the episode confronts the “idea of bromance” and what it means to find happiness in a “mundane world.”

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars alongside Mackie in “Striking Vipers” as a man who gets caught up in the intimate relationship he develops with an old friend inside a virtual reality fighting game.

The Aquaman actor told Essence that the episode was “designed” to start conversations about escapism and the connection people desire within their relationships.

Andrew Scott

In 2019, Andrew Scott starred in the season 5 episode “Smithereens” as a troubled rideshare driver who kidnaps an employee of a social media company in a misguided attempt to reach its CEO.

Though the Fleabag actor described the story to The Guardian as more “psychological” than “the alternative technological universes” typical of Black Mirror, it still explores the moral responsibility social media companies have over the addictive nature of their platforms.

Topher Grace

Topher Grace also appeared in “Smithereens” as the CEO that Scott’s character is so desperate to reach.

The actor, best known for his role as Eric Forman in That ‘70s Show, told Vulture that he loved how his character was a testament to the “double-edged sword” of social media.

Miley Cyrus

In 2019, Miley Cyrus starred in “Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too” during Black Mirror’s fifth season as purple-haired pop star Ashley O. Much like her character in Hannah Montana, Ashley O is struggling with the identity put on her by worldwide fame. In the episode, though, her likeness is also uploaded into AI dolls.

Cyrus told The Guardian that she thought the story was a “realistic take” on the “overt exploitation of artists” and that some of her personal experiences were used to create the plot.

Angourie Rice

Angourie Rice also starred in “Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too” as one of the two sisters who fight to save the consciousness of their favorite pop star, Ashley O.

The Mean Girls actress told Vulture that the Ashley Too doll they worked with on set “would spin around and talk” to them and “was kind of creepy.”  

Annie Murphy

In 2023, Annie Murphy starred in the first episode of Black Mirror’s sixth season, titled “Joan Is Awful.” The story, which is a cheeky take on data privacy, AI and streaming culture, follows an average woman named Joan (Murphy) who discovers that a new show released by her favorite streaming service is based on her exact life.

The Schitt’s Creek actress told Today that she hoped the episode would show the “scary repercussions” of what happens if society lets AI “go off the rails.”

Salma Hayek Pinault

Salma Hayek Pinault starred alongside Murphy in “Joan Is Awful” as herself — and the actress who plays Joan in the intrusive series.

The Frida star told Variety that the role was “so much fun” because she got to play “different versions” of what people think of her.

Aaron Paul

In 2023, Aaron Paul starred in the season 6 episode “Beyond the Sea” as Cliff, a 1960s astronaut who, in this alternate universe, can transfer his consciousness back to Earth using an advanced replica of his body.

The Breaking Bad actor, who had a voice cameo in “USS Callister,” joked to The Hollywood Reporter that shooting this emotionally heavy episode was a “traumatic experience.” 

Josh Hartnett

Black Hawk Down’s Josh Hartnett also costarred in “Beyond the Sea” as David, an astronaut who has had his Earth-bound replica destroyed and is essentially trapped in the isolation of space.

When Cliff agrees to let grief-stricken David use his own replica for a limited time, the kind gesture quickly turns dark and complicated when Cliff’s wife (Kate Mara) gets involved.

Kate Mara

Kate Mara plays Cliff’s wife Lana in “Beyond the Sea.”

The House of Cards actress told The Wrap that she wanted to be a part of the episode because it explored “how isolation affects us on such a deep level, and how human connection is vital to our existence, happiness and health.”

Rashida Jones

In 2025, Rashida Jones kicked off Black Mirror’s seventh season with the episode “Common People,” which critiques privatized healthcare.

The Parks and Recreation actress stars as Amanda, a teacher who is diagnosed with a brain tumor and signs up for a subscription service that promises to maintain her cognitive functions.

But costly upgrades to remove advertisements and improve her quality of life force her husband, Mike (Chris O’Dowd), to earn money in increasingly humiliating ways.

Chris O’Dowd

Bridesmaids actor Chris O’Dowd also stars in “Common People” as Mike, Amanda’s husband, who earns money for her brain tissue maintenance service by performing degrading tasks on a livestream app.

He told The Mirror that one of the scenarios his character signed up for was so humiliating that he asked Brooker to change it for fear that his two kids might see it.

Tracee Ellis Ross

American Fiction star Tracee Ellis Ross plays Gaynor, a sales agent from the tech company that offers to keep Amanda alive at a monthly cost, in “Common People.”

Though the actress told Variety that she wasn’t playing “somebody sinister,” her character comes across as such because she was “playing the honesty of it … somebody who was caught in the same system that I’m selling.”

Issa Rae

In 2025, Issa Rae led the season 7 episode “Hotel Reverie” as Brandy Friday, an actress who stars in a 1940s remake of a movie alongside AI versions of the film’s original characters.

While immersed in the simulation, she falls in love with her costar until a technical malfunction freezes them in time.

The Insecure actress told E! Online that she was “engrossed” by the fact that virtual reality filmmaking could be a reality someday soon — though she hopes in real life it’s “not as dangerous.” 

Awkwafina

Comedian Awkwafina also starred in “Hotel Reverie” as the movie’s producer, Kimmy.

The Crazy Rich Asians actress told E! Online that Black Mirror “demonstrates the extremes of where stuff can go” and hopes that any technology similar to what was displayed in her episode works to serve mankind rather than hurt it.

Paul Giamatti

In 2025, Paul Giamatti starred in the season 7 episode, “Eulogy” as Phillip, a man consumed with resentment and regret over his relationship with an ex-girlfriend.

When a tech company reaches out to Phillip for photos of his ex for her memorial, his consciousness is pulled into old memories that retrace their romance and uncover where things may have gone wrong.

The Holdovers actor told Rolling Stone that the heartbreaking episode ending made him wonder if maybe AI was “a good thing.”