{"id":578912,"date":"2023-06-16T20:14:29","date_gmt":"2023-06-16T17:14:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/over-the-top-and-gross-and-funny-annie-murphy-on-that-black-mirror-bathroom-scene\/"},"modified":"2023-06-16T20:14:29","modified_gmt":"2023-06-16T17:14:29","slug":"over-the-top-and-gross-and-funny-annie-murphy-on-that-black-mirror-bathroom-scene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/over-the-top-and-gross-and-funny-annie-murphy-on-that-black-mirror-bathroom-scene\/","title":{"rendered":"#\u201cOver the top and gross and funny\u201d: Annie Murphy on that\u00a0Black Mirror bathroom scene"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n \u201cEveryone on set reverted to 10-year-old children\u2014even Salma Hayek had a good time\u201d\n <\/div>\n
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(Nick Wall\/Netflix \u00a9 2023)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

After four years off the air, Black Mirror<\/em> fans will finally get their long-awaited fix with a brand new season this week. For Annie Murphy\u2014best known as reformed celebutante Alexis Rose<\/a> on the beloved Schitt\u2019s Creek<\/em>\u2014the chance to star in Netflix\u2019s award-winning, dystopian anthology series<\/a> was a no-brainer: \u201cI screamed yes,\u201d she says of the moment she got the offer to play Joan, a regular career woman who is alarmed when her life becomes fodder for a television series. The catch: on the show, Joan is played by a computer-generated version of Salma Hayek (played, in turn, by the IRL Salma Hayek). It\u2019s confusing and terrifying and exactly the kind brain-bending scenario that Black Mirror<\/em> is famous for. Here, Murphy talks about how she got the part, filming that NSFW bathroom scene and why Schitt\u2019s Creek<\/em> continues to be the balm for our troubled times.<\/p>\n

Black Mirror<\/em> has so many A-listers in its episodes that app<\/a>earing on an episode\u00a0feels like a celebrity status symbol. How does it work? Do they come to you or do you approach them?<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is one of the rare and deeply thrilling occasions in my career where they called me. My agent told me I had been offered a role on Black Mirror<\/em>. I didn\u2019t ask what the role was, what the episode was about, who else was in it. I just screamed yes. I have loved the show so much, and I think creator Charlie Brooker is one of the most creative brains out there. And then I got the script, and I genuinely felt like I was being punked. Like it was too good to be true.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not every day you get to co-star with Salma Hayek. Were you a fan?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh, definitely a fan of her work. I guess Frida<\/em> comes to mind as a favourite, but what I really love is how her career is all over the place. It seems like she says yes to roles that make her happy, which is an admirable way to do it. I had these expectations of who she would be, and they were all blown away. She was so much fun and so smart and observant and so willing and eager to make fun of herself, which her role required. It was Black Mirror<\/em>, but often it felt like we were shooting a buddy comedy.<\/p>\n

Without giving too much away, the episode involves a pretty epic defecation scene. You were excellent. Did that come naturally?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Haha. Thank you. I\u2019m very good at fake defecation. The scene just felt so preposterous and over the top and gross and funny. I read the scene and thought, If this isn\u2019t the role for me I don\u2019t know what is.<\/em> But then poor Salma is a real classy lady, and I think she had the exact opposite reaction. On shoot day it was me, Salma and Kayla Lorette, who also plays a version of Joan\u2014we were three ladies pretending to defecate in a church, and everyone on set reverted to 10-year-old children. I think even Salma had a good time.<\/p>\n

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(Nick Wall\/Netflix \u00a9 2023)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Your character, Joan, is the victim of a scheme in which her life is turned into content without her permission using deepfakes\u2014digitally manipulated content often used to fake another person\u2019s likeness. What did you understand about deepfakes before this role?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I had read some spooky articles about them online and seen the videos that were circulating, but I certainly wasn\u2019t an expert. And now I\u2019m even less of an expert. But Charlie had the great idea of writing in this cameo with Michael Cera, whose character is able to explain what is going on to a befuddled audience.<\/p>\n

The set-up is that actors don\u2019t act anymore, screenwriters don\u2019t write. Instead celebrities licence their likenesses and AI creates content in seconds. On a scale from ain\u2019t-gonna-happen to eventual certainty, where do you think this falls?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Charlie has always has his finger on the pulse of technological developments. He has dreamt up some scenarios that have come true, and this episode is literally happening right now. Look at the WGA writers\u2019 strike in the U.S. Part of what they\u2019re asking for is to not be replaced by computers. It\u2019s very scary, and if we don\u2019t get a handle on it and listen to these brilliant minds who are begging for a pause in the development of this technology<\/a>, we\u2019re in for a scary awakening. As funny and lighthearted as this episode is in some ways, I hope it can spark conversation.<\/p>\n

Any backup career plans?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Maybe I\u2019ll work at a book shop. I don\u2019t know if computers will take those over. I guess I could work at a bar.<\/p>\n

Black Mirror<\/em> is about our relationship to technology. What\u2019s yours like? Are you someone who has to have the latest gadget? Or are you still using a flip phone?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m in between. I\u2019m on my phone too much, and my attention span has been significantly diminished. I have been trying to wean myself because I used to be an avid reader. I gobbled up books, but now every 10 minutes it\u2019s like, okay, gotta check my phone.<\/p>\n

Obviously you have a lot of fans from your role on Schitt\u2019s Creek<\/em>. Has the attention died down at all or does having your series on a streaming platform mean new mega-fans are born every day?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It really is the gift that keeps on giving. People keep recommending it. I think it\u2019s a balm for the crazy world that we live in, so people go to Schitt\u2019s Creek<\/em> to feel comforted and safe and almost okay-ish. I guess it\u2019s bleak, but I think that need will continue to exist.<\/p><\/div>\n