A Maltese actor starring in the upcoming season of Netflix’s prestigious Black Mirror said that today’s world helped prepare her for her role in the dystopian sci-fi setting.

That is part of the show’s success, Marama Corlett told Times of Malta ahead of the season’s long-awaited release, four years since the show last saw new episodes.

An anthology with close connections to The Twilight Zone, Black Mirror episodes tend to be set in near futures that prey on modern fears of technology and its exponential advancement.

In the season one episode The Entire History of You, society’s need to capture everything is highlighted as a fictitious future creates a world where characters install chips that record everything they see, turning memories into video libraries.

“It’s a lot to sink your teeth into, both as a creator and a viewer,” Corlett said, “and it’s certainly an honour to have a part in all of that!”

Describing the show as one of the most interesting to emerge in a landscape of already rich TV, Corlett explained that the present state of the planet made it easier for her to slip into the show’s dystopian world.

“I wish I could say that the show’s dystopian themes were so alien to me that they required a massive mental adjustment. But alas, given the state the world is in today, I think that would have been a good problem to have,” she said.

Although Corlett recognised the show’s “ingenious plots and outlandish ideas” as definite reasons behind its success, its exaggeration of people’s present worries is what makes the show so easy to connect with.

“Given that an actor’s role is always to find the truth in any situation, no matter how strange, this aspect of the show is very much a key part of its success.”

Corlett stars in the sixth season’s third episode, Beyond the Sea which includes other well-known names such as Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), Kata Mara (House of Cards, Fantastic Four) and Josh Hartnett (Black Hawk Down).

“I must say it was very humbling to be rubbing on-screen shoulders with [them],” Corlett said of her experience on set.

When questioned about her role and her episode, Corlett remained coy about what viewers can expect, noting that the newest season will be released on Thursday, June 15 so it will not be a long wait till everyone finds out for themselves.

“I can tell you that patience is a virtue!”

Outside of acting, Corlett has also had a career as a dancer, but she confirmed that, for better or worse, there will be no “dystopian dance routines” in her episode.

Shooting her scenes in Valencia and London, Corlett described the on-set atmosphere to be efficient and professional. “You don’t get to enjoy season after season of your show getting renewed unless you run a smooth ship, and the Black Mirror vessel is certainly that,” she said.

When Corlett was originally cast for her episode, she had no idea where her audition tape was going as “it was all very secret,” something that many big productions and properties have started to avoid unwanted leaks.

Corlett is no stranger to working on international sets as the Maltese dancer has worked on productions for TV screens, cinema projectors and theatrical stages as well.

In 2020, Corlett starred in BBC America’s The Watch, a futurised version of Terry Pratchett’s infamous eclectic group of guards from his fantasy series of books, Discworld.

That same year, she also shared the screen with comedian and personality Karl Pilkington in the Sick of It, a two-season comedy-drama that saw Corlett add a romantic weight to the second season.

“Be prepared to treat it as a job,” Corlett said when it comes to aspiring actors as, although she acknowledges the privilege of loving her career, she still relies on professional coping mechanisms to handle the day-to-day stress.

“Put the work in, be mindful of the world around you and your industry’s role within it, and have a strategy in mind,” she advised. “You’ll do great. I believe in you!”

Black Mirror’s sixth season will be available on Netflix on Thursday, June 15, with all five episodes released simultaneously.