‘Black Mirror': Annie Murphy Was ‘Stoked’ to Film That ‘Joan Is Awful’ Church Scene — Salma Hayek Not So Much

Note: The following Annie Murphy interview discusses spoilers for “Black Mirror” Season 6 episode “Joan Is Awful.”

“Black Mirror” Season 6 star Annie Murphy was stoked to film the memorable church scene in “Joan is Awful,” despite its “gnarly” nature.

In the episode, an ordinary woman named Joan (Murphy) is shocked to discover a dramatized version of her life has become the subject of a new TV show on popular streaming service Streamberry, with Joan portrayed by Salma Hayek (who is playing herself). Except, instead of the real Hayek, it’s a computer-generated likeness licensed out by the “From Dusk Til Dawn” actress.

Joan learns that she has no legal recourse after signing her rights away by accepting the terms and conditions of the app, and takes another route to solving the problem by doing something outrageous in hopes that Hayek objects to her image being used in such a way.

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Cue the church scene. Joan fills up on several burgers before gulping down a laxative and heading to a nearby church. Dressed in a cheerleading uniform with pigtails and a lewd image on her forehead, Joan interrupts a wedding ceremony and defecates publicly as guests look in horror.

“I’m not gonna lie, I was so stoked about it,” Murphy told TheWrap. “I think it’s so ridiculous and awful and funny and gross. We had so much fun shooting it, because we all… shot the same day, and just watching everyone’s different take on it, and the way that they they got into the moment was very fun.”

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While Murphy embraced the ridiculousness of the scenario, Hayek, like her character on the thriller series, was initially resistant to film the scene.

“Salma, on the other hand, had a horrible reaction to it, and did not want to do it, which I completely understand because she’s a classy lady,” Murphy said. “But I couldn’t have been more excited to shoot it as gnarly as it was.”

Hayek’s real-life reaction to the scene was in alignment with the script, as the aftermath of seeing herself portrayed as such prompts Hayek’s character to find Joan so they can put a stop to the AI-created content.

“Black Mirror” Season 6 is now streaming on Netflix.

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