Who Plays Joan In Episode 1?

Contains spoilers for "Black Mirror" Season 6, Episode 1 — "Joan is Awful"

As it turns out, Annie Murphy isn't the only Joan in "Joan is Awful." The in-episode, fictionalized version of "Joan is Awful" features Salma Hayek as Joan. After finding out that she can't get Streamberry, the service behind the TV show, to cancel "Joan is Awful," Murphy's version of the character has no choice but to commit heinous actions to get Hayek's attention. Hayek and Murphy's Joan ultimately meet, concocting a plan to destroy Streamberry's Quamputer — a fictional piece of technology that is able to create content quickly using deep fake and CGI.

As Murphy's Joan and Hayek go to destroy the Quamputer, they learn that they're actually fictional interpretations of the "real" Joan. Turns out that the real Murphy and Hayek lent their likeness to Streamberry for "Joan is Awful." In Murphy's universe, Hayek is playing Joan, and in Hayek's universe, Cate Blanchett is playing Joan, and so on and so forth.

So... who plays the "real" Joan? Canadian actor Kayla Lorette. The episode ends with Lorette's Joan living her life, free from the Streamberry show. Though Lorette's take on Joan is brief, she adds a layer of complexity and empathy to a tragic and relatable character.