'Black Mirror: Bandersnatch' Actor Will Poulter Stepping Back From Twitter for Mental Health

"This is not the end," he wrote on Twitter. "Consider it an alternative path."

Will Poulter online bullying
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Image via Getty/David M. Benett

Will Poulter online bullying

Less than a week after the release of Black Mirror’s choose-your-own-adventure special Bandersnatch, one of its stars announced his decision to step away from social media.

Will Poulter, who plays the genius game creator Colin Ritman, shared the message on Twitter, citing his mental health as the reason. “In light of my recent experiences I am choosing to take a step back, or sorts, from Twitter,” he wrote. “I’d like to say a heartfelt thank you to everybody who had watched Bandersnatch and for their responses (whatever they may be) to the material we created.”

Some think it could be caused by people bullying or mocking Poulter, though much of the feedback of Poulter’s role in Black Mirror is positive. In his departing message he links to four of the charities he works with, including an anti-bullying campaign.

But the feedback to Poulter’s role in Black Mirroris also getting thirsty, with a few fans nominating him as “white boy of the month.”

Some of the posts also became invasive.

It could be the overwhelming reaction to Black Mirror that is turning him away from social media, or his past filmography. Poulter has dealt with negative critical reviews to many of his films since he starred in The Chronicle of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader in 2010.

This also isn’t the first time Poulter faced this level of scrutiny. He was up to play Pennywise in the 2017 It remake and dropped out after facing criticism by Tim Curry fans. The role later went to Bill Skarsgard. 

Poulter isn’t gone for good. "This is not the end," he wrote, before teasing a allusion to Bandersnatch. "Consider it an alternative path."  

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