Stunt casting is sometimes the best casting
Black Mirror has no trouble populating its cast with big stars, but season five’s “Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too” is greatly elevated by Miley Cyrus’ performance as teen pop sensation Ashley O, whose life of pastel wigs and sparkly smiles is not at all what it seems. Cyrus also plays Ashley Too, an AI-powered doll whose consciousness is actually a clone of the singer’s, as well as the hologram (“Ashley Eternal”) her controlling manager crafts in her exact image. The casting plays into Cyrus’ own celebrity persona, and while the episode isn’t without its flaws, it’s hard to imagine it working as well as it does without her.
