‘Black Mirror: Bandersnatch’ actor Will Poulter has decided to leave Twitter, following the new-found attention the Netflix special has brought him.
Will stars as Colin Ritman in the unique episode of the dystopian anthology show, which dropped towards the end of last month, allowing viewers to “choose their own adventure” by making decisions on behalf of the protagonist, Stefan.
‘Bandersnatch’ has already proved to be hugely popular, but the conversation on Twitter hasn’t always been positive, leading Will to leave the social media site “in the interest of his mental health”.
In a statement he shared on Wednesday evening, he explained: “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!”
He continued: “As we all know there is a balance to be struck in our engagements with social media. There are positives to enjoy and inevitable negatives that are best avoided. It’s a balance I have struggled with for a while now and in the interest of my mental health I feel the time has come to change my relationship with social media.
“I don’t want to appear unappreciative of all the amazing support I have received online for which I am genuinely so grateful, nor do I want my disengagement with social media to be at the expense of any of the organisations I am lucky enough to work with.”
He concluded, with a nod to ‘Bandersnatch’: “This is not the end. Consider it an alternative path. With love, Will.”
Prior to his role in ‘Bandersnatch’, Will appeared in ‘The Maze Runner’, and more recently appeared opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in ‘The Revenant’ and John Boyega in ‘Detroit’.
Meanwhile, ‘Black Mirror’ fans who prefer more traditional episodes of the dystopian Netflix show can breathe a sigh of relief, as Charlie Brooker has confirmed that a fifth series is still in the works, with ‘Bandersnatch’ serving as its own stand-alone special.