Issa Rae’s time on Black Mirror has been meta in several different ways, including playing an actress who wants to change Hollywood’s perceptions of her.
Rae stars in the third episode of Black Mirror Season 7, “Hotel Reverie,” in which Rae’s character, Hollywood actress Brandy Friday, takes part in an extremely immersive remake of a classic British film. It’s so immersive that Brandy gets caught in another dimension and must live by the film’s script if she wants to escape.
“Playing an actress who feels boxed in by how Hollywood perceives her and wants to take risks and take the reins on her career, I feel that on so many levels,” she told Trey Mangum, managing editor for Blavity/Shadow and Act. “Maybe [I] could imagine that I would, in desperation, take part in an experiment like this, but not like this exactly. It’s really bleak right now in Hollywood, and that’s also what drew me.”
Why ‘Hotel Reverie’ hit home for Rae amid Hollywood’s AI conversations
“That was one element that drew me to the script, ’cause seeing that this technology could potentially exist, given all these conversations around AI and using people’s IP and likenesses without their permission,” she continued.
Another thing that drew Rae to the series? Her character’s name.
Rae has said in previous interviews how much Moesha inspired her, as well as her hope to one day work with Brandy in the future. Rae said that her character being named Brandy let her know this was the project for her.
“[It was] another way I felt seen where I was like, ‘Well, all right, this is meant for me. I have to say yes,’” she said. “You know, this is so much of the reason that inspired my journey into this industry, and now I get to take her name through this character that is also taking her own non-conventional journey in the industry.”
Issa Rae praises Emma Corrin and reflects on the old Hollywood vibes of the episode
The episode partnered Rae with Nosferatu and Deadpool & Wolverine star Emma Corrin, who plays Rae’s love interest in the episode. Rae said working with Corrin was inspiring in its own right.
“Watching Emma perform and embody this Hollywood starlet was just incredible to witness in real-time,” she said. “It inspired me and helped me to see them transform. There’s such a specificity to playing actors from the ’40s, so I got to witness them master that accent—that trans-Atlantic, made-up accent. And that was just so much fun, and it made me feel like I really was in a portal through time.”
Watch the full interviews with the Black Mirror cast members above. Black Mirror Season 7 is now streaming on Netflix.
