New "Black Mirror" season shocks with an outrageous church scene

The sixth season of Netflix's popular hit "Black Mirror" surprised viewers with its creator's insight and ability to predict the future, especially in the episode about artificial intelligence. This episode also featured the memorable church scene.

Don't remember? We'll remind you! In the first episode of the sixth season, Joan, a character played by Annie Murphy, discovers that a streaming giant is making a series based on her life. The title "Joan Is Awful" is very telling: the production doesn't stop portraying her in the worst possible light. Salma Hayek, a Hollywood star, plays Joan. The unsuspecting protagonist wasn't aware that she was giving away the script of her life for filming by signing a subscription agreement. She's had enough and wants them to stop broadcasting her life. Desperate, she does something Salma Hayek would never want to perform. She deliberately takes a laxative, storms into a stranger's wedding at a church, and...

Well, you know Charlie Brooker's humor, the creator of "Black Mirror." But the scene of defecating in the church aisle probably shocked everyone! Notably, it was even nominated in the Best Scene category in the Top Seriale poll.

Now, in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Charlie Brooker laughs while recalling it.

"It was so childish and stupid! And at the same time, it totally made sense within the story. Because what else could the character do in her situation?"

What adds a special (well...) flavor to this scene is that Salma Hayek is played by another star in the episode "Joan Is Awful," which is structured like a never-ending nesting doll. It's Cate Blanchett. So if Brooker wanted to delve into the spiral of his plot, the two-time Oscar winner would also have had to perform the scene of relieving herself on the church floor.

"It's a great pity she didn't do it, because I'm sure she would have done it hellishly well. Her agent told me she would have even been willing," Brooker laughed.

We spoke to the creator of "Black Mirror" shortly after the sixth season's release and asked how he convinced Annie Murphy and Salma Hayek to perform this scene. He said at the time, "Well, we had to talk to them. It was in the script when Annie first got it and she was on board. She's a great person, you instantly like her. She's naturally funny and loves to be goofy, so she was very willing. And as for Salma, I’ll just say that we didn't use technology for this scene, because they were very willing to do it. Which probably saved us hundreds of thousands of dollars."

The new season of "Black Mirror" is scheduled for 2025. All previous seasons are available on Netflix.