Black Mirror’s wild church scene shocks and amuses fans alike
The sixth season of Netflix's popular series "Black Mirror" has surprised viewers with how insightful and capable of "predicting the future" its creator is, especially in the episode about artificial intelligence. This is the one where the memorable church scene occurred.
Don't remember? In the first episode of the sixth season, Joan, played by Annie Murphy, finds out that a certain streaming giant is making a series based on her life. The title "Joan Is Awful" is significant, as the production does not hold back from showing the woman in the worst possible light. Salma Hayek, a Hollywood star, portrays her. Joan didn't realize she was giving away the rights to her life's script by signing a subscription agreement. She has had enough and wants the streaming service to stop broadcasting her life. Desperate, she does something Salma Hayek would never want to perform. She deliberately takes a laxative, storms into a church during a wedding, and...
Well, if you're familiar with Charlie Brooker's humour, you know what comes next. The scene of defecating in the middle of the church aisle probably shocked everyone! It's worth noting that this scene was nominated in the best scene category in the Top Seriale poll.
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Charlie Brooker laughed while recalling how childish and stupid it was! And at the same time, it made sense within the story. What else could the character do in her situation?
Adding a unique (well...) flavour to the entire situation is that Salma Hayek is played by another star in this episode: Cate Blanchett. In the show's never-ending nesting doll construction, if Brooker wanted to deepen the spiral of his plot, Blanchett, a two-time Oscar winner, would also have to perform the scene of relieving herself on the church floor.
We spoke to the creator of "Black Mirror" shortly after the sixth season's release and asked how he convinced Annie Murphy and Salma Hayek to perform this scene. He said at the time that they just had to talk to them. It was in the script when Annie first got it, and she was on board. She's a great person, very likeable, naturally funny, and loves to be goofy. As for Salma, they decided not to use technology for the scene because both of them were very willing to do it. Which probably saved them hundreds of thousands of pounds.
The new season of "Black Mirror" is scheduled for 2025. All previous seasons are available on Netflix.
