‘Black Mirror’ actor Will Poulter has explained why he chose to take a step back from social media, insisting there was more influencing his decision than just some negative reaction to ‘Bandersnatch’.
Will stars as games developer Colin Ritman in the unique instalment of ‘Black Mirror’, which allows Netflix users to make choices on behalf of the central character that affect the narrative.
Shortly after the episode, Will posted a statement revealing that he was going to be taking a break from social media “in the interest of his mental health”, and has now told Radio Times that it wasn’t the reaction to his episode that led to this decision.
“I’ve never experienced such a positive reaction to anything I’ve been a part of,” he claimed. “From a creative perspective, all the conversations that I’ve been privy to on social media have been really, really positive.”
Will went on to say his decision to to leave the site “was a sum of things, informed by lots of different aspects of [his] experience with social media”.
He added: “There were some unrelated conversations that happened to be happening on social media – unrelated to the project – that were kind of negative and unnecessary.
“I didn’t benefit from reading them and responding to them. And I would like to think no-one really benefits from putting that into the ether, the kind of negativity that I witnessed. So I just thought the best thing to do was take a step back.”
Will said in his initial statement: “In light of my recent experiences I am choosing to take a step back, of sorts, from Twitter.
“Before I do, I’d like to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has watched Bandersnatch and for their responses (whatever they may be) to the material we created.
“I accept all criticisms and it’s been a delight to learn that so many of you enjoyed what many people worked very hard to produce!”
Earlier this week, he made a public appearance to announce this year’s Baftas nominations, having previously won the Rising Star award back in 2014.
He revealed the nominees alongside Hayley Squires.