There’s something deliciously paradoxical about Black Mirror. While the show thrusts us into digital-age nightmares, its cast members are increasingly aligned with a very analog, earth-first philosophy. Now in its seventh season, the dystopian anthology series—equal parts tech satire and psychic premonition—has become a cultural mainstay. Each new installment distorts the near future just enough to feel prophetic. But behind the screens, several of the show’s stars are embracing a quieter, more grounded future: one built on plants.
This emerging pattern is more than just a footnote to the show’s fame. Whether by personal philosophy, health choice, or spiritual alignment, many of the actors bringing series creator Charlie Brooker’s dark visions to life are also quietly advocating for a world less reliant on animal products and more in tune with environmental balance. Some are vegan, others simply eschew dairy or sugar. Together, they suggest a broader cultural shift that mirrors the show’s own subtext: what we choose to consume—digitally or otherwise—says everything about the future we’re building.
A taste for the planet
Chris O’Dowd and Tracee Ellis Ross co-star in “Common People,” a twisted tale about a medical subscription service with all-too-familiar capitalist horrors. In real life, both actors have leaned into plant-forward lifestyles that subtly challenge the very systems their characters fall victim to.
O’Dowd, who became a household name thanks to The IT Crowd and Bridesmaids, recently collaborated with Califia Farms on The Green Album—a surreal project that paired meditative affirmations with plant care. It was equal parts comedy and calm, and fittingly eccentric for someone who told press he enjoys his mornings with a Califia cold brew and dairy-free creamer alongside time spent “tending to [his] favorite plants.”
Ross, a longtime health advocate, brings the same discipline to her plate. In an interview with People, she explained her guiding principle for meals: “It not only has to taste good in my mouth, but also feel good in my body.” For the actress, that means minimal dairy, sugar, and gluten. And in The New York Times, she added: “I don’t drink soda or caffeine—never have.”
Their shared preference for plant-based nourishment feels almost like a counter-script to the show’s narrative. Where Black Mirror builds stress through human detachment, Ross and O’Dowd seem to be gravitating toward connection—whether with their bodies, their plants, or a bigger collective consciousness.
The vegan vanguard
Cristin Milioti, who reprises her fan-favorite role in “USS Callister: Into Infinity,” has also gone fully vegan—a lifestyle shift that, in her words, left certain guilty pleasures behind. “Sadly, I can’t eat [Wawa hoagies] anymore because I’m vegan now,” she told The New York Times. Milioti’s decision echoes the journeys of many who are now finding their food identities in alignment with ethical and ecological values.
Then there’s Siena Kelly, whose role in “Bête Noire” is as biting as it is ironic—a focus group evaluating candy bars while oblivious to the world unraveling around them. Kelly, however, would be unlikely to consume most confections offered up in that episode. She’s been entirely plant-based for nearly a decade, and her reasoning goes beyond nutrition. “I am on this quest to live more in sync with the planet,” she told The Big Issue in 2024. “Witching is an earth religion … It is quite anti-capitalist. I am absolutely a believer in that.”
Kelly’s lifestyle is rooted in a broader ecosystem of mindfulness that includes yoga, herbalism, and daily meditation. Her veganism is not isolated but integrative—a statement on how to live in deeper reciprocity with the planet, and a rebuke to the consumerist excess that Black Mirror so often satirizes.
Quiet vegetarians, loud statements
Even among cast members who haven’t publicly claimed veganism, there’s still a noticeable bent toward plant-centric living. Emma Corrin, who stars alongside Issa Rae in “Hotel Reverie”—an episode that pokes fun at AI and movie nostalgia—hasn’t declared their dietary choices outright, but has been spotted at vegan hotspots like Gracias Madre in West Hollywood. Their culinary preferences, from eggplant parmigiana to plant-based tacos, suggest a palate attuned to sustainability without the need for labels.
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Corrin’s low-key approach mirrors a rising attitude among younger celebrities and consumers: eat plants, skip the dogma. It’s a fluid kind of food consciousness—one that doesn’t necessarily demand perfection but still upholds planetary well-being as a guiding principle.
More than a trend
As Black Mirror continues to unravel possible futures, its stars are quietly modeling a different kind of tech disruption—not through the latest wearable or AI-generated therapy, but through breakfast routines, shopping habits, and dining choices that pull us back to earth. In a media landscape still dominated by celebrity diet reveals, what’s refreshing here is the lack of spectacle. These actors aren’t trying to rebrand veganism or health food—they’re simply living it, in a way that feels personal and often profoundly aligned with the world’s needs.
Their choices may seem small—switching from dairy to plant-based creamer, passing on sugar-laden treats—but in a show built on slippery slopes and escalating consequences, it’s hard not to see these quiet dietary decisions as part of a much larger resistance.
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Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England's southern coast.
