Anya Taylor-Joy: A voice told me to become an actress

Obviously this is also the case for Anya Taylor-Joy. An idyllic childhood in Buenos Aires, in connection with nature and animals, probably brought up a whole repertoire of stories, that this girl, the youngest of six children, raised as an only child, was telling herself. “I used to go for a walk in the woods and play all the characters,” she confides delicately. “It may seem strange, but I had a voice in my head that suggested that I become an actress, because it was the path that would bring me peace and happiness. It was a real luck that this profession existed, because without it I think I would have gone crazy ».

Discovered on the street in London

The move to London, wanted by the American-Argentine father, a banker, and by the psychologist mother, abruptly interrupts the daily life of a six-year-old girl. Student in a private institution, the future actress refuses to learn English in the hope that, speaking only Spanish, her parents will resign themselves to returning to her lost paradise. But he receives the Harry Potter saga as a gift and soon becomes familiar with the language of sorcerers.

At sixteen, a new miracle: while walking the dog one evening, near the Harrods department store, and she practices walking in her mother’s high heels for an evening, is followed by a car that turns out to be Sarah Douka’ss, co-founder with Richard Branson of the supermodel agency Storm and discoverer of Kate Moss. She worked as a model before being chosen, at the age of sixteen, for his first film, The Witchdirected by Robert Eggersand followed by a number of other fantastic films, including Split by M. Night Shyamalan.

Anya Taylor-Joy, a path without stalls

But it is thanks to The chess queena series in which she masterfully plays a young orphan who has become an international chess champion, che his career suddenly explodes during the pandemic and earned her the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Miniseries. A huge success that radically changes its trajectory.

“It took me a while to get used to it,” he says humbly, “but today I have finally adapted to this new life. I am very happy that this series has touched people. Many of the people who felt isolated during the lockdown confessed to me that it helped them feel connected to each other. I found it very beautiful and moving ».

As for private life, Anya Taylor-Joy is happy alongside her partner, musician Malcolm McRae (married in secret a few weeks ago, the parties do not confirm).

Film projects

From a cinematographic point of view, the proposals multiply. However, she does not stray from the winding roads she has decided to take: interprets on the screen singular heroines with a strong temperamentwhich express his desire to avoid clichés. The loneliness, the feeling of being different – fueled by the bullying inflicted on her at school by students who teased her about how she looked like her – the courage to go further, imbue the roles he plays.

After Thomasinthe sixteen year old accused of being a witch in The Witchor EmmaJane Austen’s spoiled heroine, takes over from Charlize Theron as the warrior in Furiousthe prequel to Mad Max-Fury Road. Anya Taylor-Joy is also the type of actress who tells a lot about herself through her roles. “Each character has helped me grow, she has revealed something about myself, or pushed me to face my limits,” she explains. “Sometimes we realize it at the moment, others, we realize it when the film is finished.”

Each role has a little bit of her

Would each role therefore be linked to its history? “Yes, but you don’t understand it immediately. Generally I feel a very strong intuition that leads me to ask myself: what will my life be like if I reject this role, or if I accept it instead? Shooting a film and giving life to a character is a demanding process that takes you away from your own existence, you have to be really passionate to do it ».

An observation that sums up the challenge perfectly which represented another chapter of his filmography: The Northmansigned by Robert Eggers (on demand on Sky Primafila), an impressive tale of Viking revenge based on the Scandinavian tale that inspired theHamlet by Shakespeare. Here the actress with dual American and British nationality plays, acting in English with a Scandinavian accent and dressed in rags, Olga of the Birch Forest, the beloved of the young Prince Hamlet, alongside Nicole Kidman, Alexander Skarsgård and Ethan Hawke.

Cinema, an all-encompassing experience

For Anya it was the perfect opportunity to rediscover Eggers, the first director to believe in her, and thus completing a seven-year cycle of shooting virtually uninterrupted. «When I landed on Robert’s set I said to myself: ‘Ah, now I will explain why I am who I am!’. It was he who offered me the first role and shaped me. If I approach work with the maximum possible dedication and avoiding any idea of ​​glamor, it is thanks to him ».

Anya Taylor-Joy and fashion

Taylor-Joy knows how to pass seamlessly from the Viking universe to that of Avenue Montaigne, where the heart of the Dior house beats. For this fearless actress, entirely dedicated to her art, the territories of cinema and fashion overlap. She stepped into the new role of ambassador with a “very nerdy” trait, she claims, that she carries with her in the preparation of all of her roles: devouring books on Christian Dior, immersing himself in the documentation available on the history of the prestigious maison. In fact, she gives each of her red carpet appearances that touch of audacity and adventure that sets her apart.

“I was lucky enough to be made up of a team of extremely talented people,” she notes. “AND I face every “script” staged on the red carpet as if it were an artistic performance. I reflect on the emotions I want to convey, pushing myself to the perfume I will wear for the occasion. I want it to be an all-encompassing experience ».

Swinton, Kidman and Blanchett his ideals

More than the concept of “style icons”, it is the spirit of strongly emancipated women artists which is based on an element of inspiration: “That of Frida Kahlo, that of Edie Sedgwick»Proclaims with enthusiasm the woman who will soon be on the screen next to Ralph Fiennes in The Menuwhich will be at the Toronto festival in Septemberand in David O. Russell’s prestigious project, Amsterdamalongside Margot Robbie and Robert de Niro.

In cinema, the actresses whose footsteps she would like to follow are also those who escape any categorization. “Tilda Swinton, Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, very talented actresses who choose very different roles, “he says. “It’s impossible to label them. This trend creates many problems for me, I can’t stand society’s need to box people and I want to stay away from it as much as possible ».

Out of the ordinary: an expression that fits like a glove for Anya Taylor-Joya rebellious princess with fabulous talents.

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