Black Mirror is always filled with Easter eggs and secrets – but Kirsten Dunst’s uncredited cameo certainly took fans by surprise…
If you’re anything like us, you probably couldn’t stop yourself from watching every single episode of Black Mirror’s fourth season the moment they landed on Netflix. Indeed, we bet you only recently emerged from the existential bender, giddy with despair for the future of modern society (dystopian anthology dramas tend to have that effect on us all).
Now, though, it’s time to forget the bigger (and bleaker) picture of the series and focus on all those tiny little details. Our friends at Shortlist may have revealed all of the show’s hidden connections and Easter eggs, but we’re here to fill you in on the two-second celebrity cameo that passed you by in the U.S.S. Callister episode.
We’re talking, of course, about Kirsten Dunst’s micro-role. But, fair warning, there are spoilers ahead – so only read on if you’re up-to-date with the Netflix show.
U.S.S. Callister kicks off the new season with a tale about a Star Trek-esque ship run by a captain with a big secret.
The secret being that, y’know, his ship is of the virtual reality kind and, back on earth, he’s actually an oft-teased start-up employee named Robert Daley: he frequently boards the Callister in his mind in order to live out a much glossier and far more exciting version of his real life.
Of course, in real real life, both the captain and the real-life version of captain is played by Jesse Plemons. And Black Mirror producers made sure to pay homage to the actor by including a voiceover from his Breaking Bad co-star, Aaron Paul.
They also included another, far more subtle, nod to Plemons’ life away from the screen: a two-second appearance from his fiancée, Dunst. Her cameo hasn’t been credited by Netflix – which is understandable, to be honest: it really is the ultimate ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ moment.
Despite this, though, die-hard fans still spotted her marching through the Callister breakout area.
Check it out:
Toby Haynes, who directed the episode, revealed that Dunst’s appearance was one of the many series Easter eggs that he had to fight to keep in the final cut.
He also admitted that, unlike Paul’s voiceover, Dunst’s cameo wasn’t exactly planned.
Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, he said: “She was sitting on set with Jesse and was like, ‘Can I play?’
“I said, ‘sure,’ and we placed her in the background. But when I watched the first take she wasn’t there – continuity had taken her out because she wouldn’t be in any of the other shots that day and I went crazy! I told them, ‘Come on! I only need one shot!’”
While fans may have spotted Dunst, though, a fair few of them are losing their minds on social media after learning why Black Mirror is actually called Black Mirror (spoiler: it’s far more literal than you might expect).
We guess that’s the power of Charlie Brooker’s show, eh? Excuse us, we’re just nipping home to rewatch the entire series again…
Images: Rex Features
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