In 'Joan Is Awful', what is the name of the actress who plays Joan?

In “Joan Is Awful,” Annie Murphy plays Joan. Murphy portrays Joan Tait, an ordinary woman whose private life is turned into a television series by the fictional streaming service Streamberry.

The episode premiered on Netflix on June 15, 2023, as the opening episode of Black Mirror’s sixth series. Murphy’s Joan discovers that events from her day—including workplace decisions and personal relationship problems—are being dramatized almost immediately. Salma Hayek plays the television version of Joan, creating a deliberately layered performance within the episode.

Murphy was already widely known for playing Alexis Rose in Schitt’s Creek, but “Joan Is Awful” gave her a darker and more anxious comic role. A common mix-up is to answer Salma Hayek, who plays “TV Joan,” rather than Annie Murphy, who plays the real-world Joan at the story’s central level.