Black Mirror Common People cast: All the characters and what the stars have said about the traumatic episode
Rashida Jones leads the cast of the heartbreaking episode.
Black Mirror is back with six brand new episodes.
Season 7 landed on Netflix on Thursday 10th April, and we're not ashamed to say that we have already binged the entire season, with 'Bête Noire' and 'Plaything' in our top 2 this year.
The season kicked off with 'Common People', an "incredibly bleak" start to the seventh installment about a married couple, whose life gets turned upside down when the wife, Amanda, has an medical emergency which leaves her fighting for her life.
"Black Mirror 'Common People' actually made me tear up," one viewer wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) alongside a crying emoji.
"Black Mirror 'Common People', very good. Thought-provoking. Never want to watch that again," another said.
"Black Mirror is so back to it’s former glory with 'Common People', I feel like my heart got ripped out and ran through the shredder, wow," a third added.
Viewers have become completely invested in the impactful first episode and the incredible cast, including Black-ish's Tracee Ellis Ross.
As the episode airs, read on for everything you need to know about the cast, including what they had to say about 'Common People'.
Black Mirror Common People cast
It's a pretty small cast for the first episode.
The main cast includes:
- Rashida Jones as Amanda
- Chris O’Dowd as Mike
- Tracee Ellis Ross as Gaynor
For more on the stars, keep scrolling.
Rashida Jones as Amanda
Who is Amanda? Amanda is a primary school teacher. She is married to Mike. They have a sickly sweet relationship and live a fairly normal life, until Amanda has an accident at work and receives some bad health news.
What has Rashida Jones said about 'Common People'? Jones said she was most captivated by the fact that the episode "feels like real people".
"It feels like real people and extraordinary circumstances and I thought that's the kind of beauty ofBlack Mirror. The idea is for you to buy-in on the character level and then you're like, 'What's happening?'" She told ET Online.
She added to Radio Times that she was "gut punched" when she read the ending of the script.
What else has Rashida Jones been in? Jones is best known for her comedic roles, most notably Karen Filippelli in The Office. She's also appeared in Parks and Recreation, BlackAF and The Social Network.
Chris O'Dowd as Mike
Who is Mike? Mike is a labourer and is married to Amanda. He turns to desperate measures after learning of his wife's life-threatening illness.
What has Chris O'Dowd said about 'Common People'?
Asked about the dark episode, O'Dowd told Netflix: "It does feel like an old-school episode of the show about the vile advancement of technology and how it's going to dislocate our lives and pierce our souls, which is well encapsulated in this. It was one of the reasons why I was keen to do it."
What else has Chris O'Dowd been in? Chris O'Dowd is an Irish comedian and actor, best known for his role as Roy Trenneman in the Channel 4 series The IT Crowd. The show, which brought him widespread recognition, aired for four seasons between 2006 and 2010. Other projects include: Girls, Moone Boy, Big Mouth and Bridesmaids.
Tracee Ellis Ross as Gaynor
Who is Gaynor? Gaynor is a client and spokesperson for RiverMind. She introduces the treatment to Mike and stays involved in Amanda’s journey. She presents new enhancements and follow-up options, which come at a cost - not just financially, but in terms of personal commitment as well.
What has Tracee Ellis Ross said about 'Common People'? While Gaynor represents the "villain" in this episode of Black Mirror, Ross didn't "judge" her.
Speaking to Netflix ahead of the series, she said: "It's absolutely okay to judge the characters you play, but in the actual experience of portraying and inhabiting whoever that person is, no, there isn't judgment.
"I didn't judge this woman. I had a lot of sympathy for her because she was stuck in the same system that is eating and taking from this couple. She’s like the food and the eater at the same time."
What else has Tracee Ellis Ross been in? Ross is famous for starring in drama series Girlfriends from 2000. More recently, she played Dr. Rainbow Johnson in Black-ish and its spin-off series, Grown-ish, and Mixed-ish. Ross's big screen appearances include: Labor Pains,The High Note, and American Fiction.
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