Aaron Paul 'Begged' For Another Black Mirror Episode After His Season 4 Cameo
The summer of 2023 is the season of Aaron Paul guest appearances. The "Breaking Bad" actor will appear in an episode of the 16th season of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," which is pretty great, and he also stars in an episode in the sixth season of "Black Mirror!" Those are about as different guest appearances as an actor could make, showing Paul's impressive range. Dealing with the gang on "Always Sunny" and dealing with the horrors of technology on "Black Mirror" can be challenging, but it seems that his "Black Mirror" role was something he had really wanted.
In the press packet for the upcoming season of "Black Mirror," an interview with Paul revealed that when he agreed to do a brief cameo as a voice in the season 4 episode "USS Callister," he also "begged" series creator Charlie Brooker to consider bringing him back for a bigger role in a later season. In season 6, he stars opposite Josh Hartnett in the episode "Beyond the Sea," and it's much meatier than playing his previous role as Gamer691. In fact, it's mostly just him and Hartnett in cramped quarters that required some crafty camera work, so there's a whole lot of focus on just Paul.
A cameo on a condition
Aaron Paul is no stranger to heady science fiction — the actor starred in the later seasons of HBO's "Westworld," which took him into some pretty wild territory. He has apparently always loved "Black Mirror," however, and when the opportunity came to star in season 6, he jumped at the chance. Paul said:
"I'm a massive fan of Charlie [Brooker] and his beautiful mind. Every season of 'Black Mirror' is so different, but they are all linked tonally. I have wanted to be part of this universe for a long time. I did a voiceover for the 'USS Callister' episode. I begged Charlie not to check me off the list and consider me for future episodes. When this landed on my desk, I instantly read it, and it was a no-brainer to say yes."
In "USS Callister," Paul briefly appears as the voice of Gamer691, who the episode's director wanted to sound like Paul's character Jesse from "Breaking Bad." But according to executive producer Annabel Jones, he only agreed to the cameo if Brooker would consider bringing him back for something else later on. Thankfully they agreed, and we have two "Black Mirror" episodes with Paul in them! Not only that, but one of them has two Aaron Pauls ... sort of.
The always all-in Aaron Paul
In the episode "Beyond the Sea," Aaron Paul plays dual characters and deals with some pretty heavy material, but co-star Josh Hartnett felt like he absolutely knocked it out of the park. The actor said that Paul's easygoing attitude between takes was integral to getting through the sometimes grueling shoot, which took place in small spaces during a heatwave. Hartnett said:
"This episode, for me, felt like a two-hander. While I got to work with other actors, it was primarily Aaron and me for most of the shoot. Aaron has a gift where he can flick the switch, and he's in character and hits the performance every time. That could sound intense, but he is a very easy-going guy, which you need on a story like this."
The technohorror of "Black Mirror" can be intense to watch, let alone act out, so I can only imagine the kinds of physical and emotional challenges that come with bringing an episode of the series to life. Thankfully for all of us, Paul wanted to be a part of that weird, dark universe, and he brought his A-game. Maybe if we're really lucky, he'll be back in additional seasons. Why not? It's an anthology series, isn't it?
"Black Mirror" season 6 is now streaming on Netflix.