Having both starred in Marvel titles, among other popular movies, Zazie Beetz and Danny Ramirez know a thing or two about being in the limelight. In Black Mirror season 6, though, the actors embodied the other side of fame as celebrity-hounding photographers Bo and Hector – and were surprised by how addicting the world of paparazzi is.
"I really like when I have an opportunity to expand my understanding for others, and explore why people do certain things," Beetz tells 12DOVE, when asked what it was like to explore the intrusiveness of the snap-happy profession. "I felt really empathetic towards my character and the choices she was making. While the money element for her is important, of course, I think it also examines the idea of what do the wealthy deserve, or not deserve, and the contracts we have, between paparazzi and celebrity.
"My character, her moral compass sort of swings back and forth a bit throughout the episode, which was also interesting to explore. But yeah, I don't think I would ever become a paparazzo," she laughs. "But I did find it interesting to be in that mindset."
Written by Black Mirror creator Charlie Brooker and directed by Uta Briesewitz, who's previously helmed episodes of Fear the Walking Dead and Stranger Things, 'Mazey Day' takes place in the early 2000s and follows Beetz' down-on-her-luck Bo. After learning that the closeted actor she'd outed with her previous batch of photos has ended his own life, Bo – being pushed to catch up on late rent by her finicky roommate – embarks on a mission to get a $30,000 picture of Mazey Day (Clara Rugaard), a young actress who has mysteriously stopped showing up to the set of her latest production.
Catching wind that Mazey is likely staying at a producer's house, Bo camps out there, but a security guard punctures her tires before she can catch a glimpse of Mazey. That night, inside a diner, she learns that some rich type has hired out an nearby rehab center for the entire weekend – and figuring that it must be Mazey, she asks her pal Hector to ride them out there.
"We got to know the profession as a craft," Ramirez recalls. "We both watched this documentary called 'Smash His Camera', and it was really eye-opening to see this guy, who was one of the biggest paparazzi actually capture so much, and be a historian in a way. It's a story of 'celebrity'.
"At the end of the day, when you create a system, there's always gonna be people that fill those spots because, if you put a monetary value on anything, someone's going to find a way to make a career from that," argues Ramirez. "I never really put into consideration before this that there's the good and the bad side."
"When we were shooting I realized, 'There is a rush to this'. Getting that photo is like a hunt and so, outside of the financial element, which I think is very important, there was also something about the adrenaline of it. There is an instant dopamine response when you get that photo. It was exciting to experience that, and it was a big 'woah' moment for me because I was like, 'Oh damn, I've got full way around this thing'.
"I was always taking photos during filming and checking in to see if production could use some," remembers Ramirez. "And I'd always say to myself, 'I've just gotta take the right one and then production will use it' and I was like, 'Oh wait, that's the exact same thing that's happening in real world.' You're taking a photo and seeing if it has value and so that became addictive."
Hounded. Hunt. Sometimes, in the real world, paparazzi are described as having 'dogged' a famous person to get that elusive image, which gives the delicious twist at the end of 'Mazey Day' even more bite.
As viewers, we know throughout the episode's 40-minute runtime that Mazey is lying low following an alcohol-induced hit and run. But in Black Mirror-style, there's an even darker reason for her sudden seclusion. If you've yet to watch, and don't want to know what it is, then we advise turning back now. Major spoilers ahead!
When night falls outside the rehab center, Bo, Hector, and two other paparazzi who've tracked them to the facility find a way inside. Noticing a small, barred window, they heave up their cameras and shoot through the glass; discovering that Mazey is being kept, chained, inside. Bo breaks down the room's door and vows to free the actress, who insists they all need to leave immediately. As the quartet look around the place, they notice two goats in the far corner and, if you're a horror fan, you might be able to anticipate what happens next...
Bo breaks the metal collar – has it dawned on you yet? – right before Mazey flicks her head back and stares at the starry sky through a panel in the ceiling. As clouds shift, a full moon reveals itself, prompting Mazey to turn into a bloodthirsty werewolf. You see, she'd actually struck a beast with her car days earlier, and when she stepped out to check on the creature, it bit her.
"I was so surprised. Before I read the script, I was told that there was going to be a little bit of a deviation from the classic Black Mirror structure," Beetz says of the shock reveal, nodding to the fact that the show has never embraced the supernatural before. "I thought it was such a clever way to approach the themes that Black Mirror typically explores, around humanity and our underbelly."
"It was pretty harrowing," Rugaard recalls, when we ask what it was like filming the transformation. "It was fun getting to work with like a movement coach beforehand and basically, together we created, like, a bit of a choreography. I didn't have a voice for a couple of days afterwards. I was growling at the DP and screaming and puking in front of these guys," she adds, referring to Beetz and Ramirez.
"It must have been a great sight. You know me very well now. But yeah, it was really fun but also simultaneously, both physically and mentally hard work. You have to let go of all of your inhibitions," she concludes, before admitting that it was "probably the most exposing thing" she's ever done in her life. The symbolism just keeps on coming...
Black Mirror season 6 is streaming now. For more, check out our interview with creator Charlie Brooker and executive producer Jessica Rhoades, or our chat with 'Beyond the Sea' stars Kate Mara and Josh Hartnett. Elsewhere, our list of the best Netflix shows can offer up some extra viewing inspiration.
