ANYA TAYLOR-JOY COMMANDS
The Queen is Winning the Big Roles
There’s a hot new show on Netflix right now called The Queen’s Gambit. Maybe you’ve heard of it? If you haven’t, know it’s going to be challenging to find any chess-lovers a new board this holiday season. The drama series stars Anya Taylor-Joy as the lead. It examines gender disparity in the regal sport.
Taylor-Joy has been acting professionally for five years. Still, The Queen’s Gambit has put her on the map, mainly because Netflix estimates the limited series has been streamed 62 million times. Up until The Queen’s Gambit, Taylor-Joy’s credits were mostly in film, which she doesn’t quite feel it fits her.
“I have never and I don’t think I will ever think of myself as beautiful,” Taylor-Joy told The Sun. “I don’t think I’m beautiful enough to be in films. It sounds pathetic and my boyfriend warns me people will think I’m an absolute d*** for saying these things, but I just think I’m weird-looking.”
Taylor-Joy is a character actor through and through. She’s played zany, demented, and elegant characters in movies and TV. If The Queen’s Gambit is your first introduction to the 24-year-old, check her out in these other productions:
THE WITCH
Taylor-Joy made a name for herself in her first film, The Witch. The Robert Eggers indie horror movie has a cult following since its Netflix release in 2012. Taylor-Joy plays a young girl whose family experiences supernatural events after leaving their religious community. Taylor-Joy’s performance is unsettling, eerie, and a stunning introduction to a budding actress.
SPLIT/GLASS
Taylor-Joy hit the mainstream market in Split and Glass, both follow-ups to M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable. Yes, she is the girl who escapes from James McAvoy’s character at the end of Split. You have to go back and watch her incredible performances in these films.
PEAKY BLINDERS
Many actors from the UK have been in Peaky Blinders, so it’s no surprise Taylor-Joy starred in the most recent season as Gina Gray.
EMMA.
2020 has been a big year for Taylor-Joy. When the coronavirus hit the US, Emma was just out in theaters but quickly went to video-on-demand. Taylor-Joy joined the ranks of actresses playing the Jane Austen character.
THE NEW MUTANTS
Taylor-Joy starred in the ensemble movie The New Mutants, another VOD release earlier this year. She appeared with Charlie Heaton of Stranger Things and Maisie Williams of Game of Thrones.
If you’re looking for additional Taylor-Joy content, there’s more to come. She has multiple projects ahead. They include Last Night in Soho (with Matt Smith and Diana Rigg), The Northman (directed by Robert Eggers), and the untitled Furiosa spin-off from Mad Max: Fury Road director George Miller. It appears Taylor-Joy is at the beginning of a long career, and we’re excited to see where it takes her next.
