Anya Taylor-Joy is an American-born British actress of Argentinian descent, known for her roles as Casey Cooke in the psychological horror thriller films Split (2016) and Glass (2019). In 2020, she rose to fame for her role as Beth Harmon in the Netflix miniseries The Queen’s Gambit (2020). The character and plot of the series were loved by critics, who greatly appreciated her acting.
Wiki/Biography
Anya Taylor-Joy was born Anya Josephine Marie Taylor-Joy on Tuesday, April 16, 1996 (25 years old in 2021) in Miami, Florida. When Anya was very young, her family moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where they lived until she was six years old. The family then moved to London, England, but Anya disagreed with the move and decided not to learn English for two years, hoping that her parents would consider moving back to Argentina. Before moving to London, Anya attended Northland School in Argentina. After moving to London, she attended Hill House International Primary School in Chelsea, and then Queen’s Gate School in South Kensington for higher education. At the age of 16, Anya dropped out of school and decided to pursue a career in acting. After being discovered as a model, Anya made her debut as an actor in 2014 in an episode of the detective series Endeavour.
appearance
Height (approximate): 5′ 7″
Hair color: Blonde
Eye color: Black
Family and Race
Anya Taylor-Joy was born in the United States to parents of Spanish and Scottish descent.
Parents and siblings
Anya’s father, Dennis Alan Taylor, is a Scottish-Argentinian who was an international banker turned offshore powerboat racer. Her mother, Jennifer Marina Joy, is a psychologist. Her mother was born in Zambia to a family of English and Spanish descent. She is the youngest of six siblings.
Anya Taylor (right) with her parents and siblings
Anya Taylor-Joy and her mother Jennifer Marina Joy
Relationship with Boyfriend
Anya is in a relationship with Ben Seed. He is a professional photographer.
Anya Taylor-Joy and her boyfriend Ben Seed
Profession
Movie
Anya Taylor-Joy made her debut with the horror film The Witch, in which she played the heroine “Thomasine” and was praised by critics for her outstanding performance in the film. The film premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and was released in theaters in 2016. In the same year, Anya Taylor starred in the science fiction horror film Morgan, directed by Luke Scott. Later, she starred in the drama film Barry, directed by Vikram Gandhi, in which she played Charlotte Bowman, one of Obama’s close friends. The film is adapted from the life of young Obama in New York in 1981. In 2017, Anya Taylor-Joy had the opportunity to play the leading role in the horror thriller Split, directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Since then, Anya has also starred in the horror suspense film Marrowbone and the black comedy thriller Thoroughbreds (2017). In 2019, Anya reprised her role as Casey Cooke in the film Split and also starred in the film Glass.
Anya has also starred in several documentaries such as Love, Antosa and played the role of Irene Currie in the biographical drama Radioactive. In 2020, she played the role of Emma Woodhouse in the comedy-drama Emma, which was adapted from Jane Austen’s novel Emma. She then starred in the film Young People Are Coming and also played the fictional character “Magic Man” in the superhero horror film The New Mutants. The film was released in August 2020 and is the last in the X-Men film series.
Anya Taylor-Joy in the New Mutants poster
Digital/OTT
Anya made her digital screen debut in the British television detective series Endeavour. She also appeared in a few episodes of the fantasy adventure series Atlantis. In December 2017, Anya Taylor-Joy starred in the BBC One mini-series The Miniaturists. In 2020, Anya also had the opportunity to appear in the BBC One crime drama Peaky Blinders and Netflix fantasy drama The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. In 2020, Anya played the lead role of chess prodigy Beth Harmon in the Netflix mini-series The Queen’s Gambit. The series and Anya’s performance in it were widely praised.
Music Videos
Anya appeared in the music video for the song “Red Lips” by artists GTA and Sam Bruno. The song is a remix of the original song, done by American DJ Skrillex. She also participated in the music video for the song “Dinner & Diatribes” by Hozier.
Awards/Honors
- In 2016, he won the Gotham Independent Film Award for “Breakthrough Actor” for the movie “The Witch”.
Anya Taylor-Joy holds the Gotham Independent Film Awards “Breakthrough Actor” award
- In 2016, he won the Phoenix Film Critics Association Award for “Breakthrough Performance” for the film “The Witch”.
- In 2016, she won the Horror Index Award for “Best Actress” for her role in the film “The Witch”.
- In 2016, she won the New Mexico Film Critics Award for Best Young Actress for the film “The Witch”.
- In 2017, she won the Empire Film Award for Best Female Newcomer for her role in the film “The Witch”.
Anya Taylor-Joy wins Empire Award for Best New Actress
- In 2017, she won the Fangoria Chainsaw Award for “Best Actress” for the film “The Witch”.
- In 2017, he won the Seattle Film Critics Association Award for Best Teen Performance for his role in the film “The Witch”.
- Won the Trophee Chopard award at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival for her film “Herself”.
Anya Taylor-Joy (center) receives the Chopard trophy with George MacKay (right) and Charlize Theron (left)
Favorite things
- Singers: Rihanna, Beyoncé
Facts/Trivia
- Anya’s father was an investment banker who later switched careers to become a professional powerboat racer and twice won the International Powerboat Federation World Champion.
- Netflix’s TV series The Queen’s Gambit is based on the novel of the same name by American novelist Walter Tevis. The show became Netflix’s most watched scripted series in 2020. Taylor-Joy said of the news:
I get overwhelmed easily. My brain can’t imagine more than 5,000 people, so 62 million households seeing it is beyond my comprehension. When something becomes that successful, it’s no longer about you — it belongs to everyone. I prefer it that way, I guess.”
- Anya had to read the novelist Walter Tevis’ novel The Queen’s Gambit to understand and prepare for the role. After reading the book, she felt she related to the character of the chess player. Interestingly, Anya had never played chess in her life, and in order to teach her how to play chess, former chess world champion Garry Kasparov and famous chess coach Bruce Pandolfini were invited as consultants.
The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis
- While filming the movie “Emma”, Anya shot an unforgettable scene: her character suddenly had a nosebleed when she was emotionally excited, and Taylor-Joy’s right nostril also bled. The crew was worried at first, but they decided to continue filming. In the end, the movie was released with this original shot.
- Anya Taylor-Joy has collaborated with several fashion brands and is the brand ambassador for the “Flowerbomb” collection by Viktor and Rolf Fragrances.
Anya Taylor-Joy Promotes Viktor and Rolf Fragrances’ ‘Flowerbomb’ Collection
- According to Anya Taylor-Joy, she never took care of her skin; however, during the COVID-19 lockdown, she started taking care of her skin. She is a big fan of toner and she usually prepares her own mixture. Her most commonly used mixture is almond oil and rose water mixed together because these two ingredients are easily available. Anya’s self-care routine also includes long baths in the tub with water infused with oils and salts. She is a spiritual person and the act of entering the tub to cleanse herself is therapeutic for her.
- During the first lockdown after the outbreak of the new crown epidemic, Anya was stuck in London. In order to stay calm and relaxed, she often went out for a morning walk. During the lockdown, her longest walk lasted nearly 9 hours. Anya also read books to pass the time during the lockdown.
- In an interview with Vanity Fair, Anya talked about her love for perfumes and fragrances. Anya told the interviewer that she has very poor eyesight, so her sense of smell is very sensitive. She is very fascinated by smells, and several scents often remind her of her childhood.
- Anya Taylor-Joy has been a vegetarian since she was eight years old. She also tries to follow a vegan diet. She also uses cruelty-free beauty products because she believes in making environmentally conscious choices as a consumer.
- When Anya decided to drop out of school, she wrote a note informing her parents of her decision and her parents were very happy about her decision. In an interview, Anya narrated this incident and said-
My youngest sister is seven years older than me, so I said to them, ‘Look, I’m your youngest, I’ve dropped out of school, you have no obligation to stay here. Go out and travel the world! Have fun and have a great time together.’ My sister and I stayed at home in south-west London – and my parents still travel to this day.”
- In 2020, Anya Taylor-Joy starred in British director Edgar Wright’s upcoming psychological horror film “Soho Last Night”. In October 2020, she starred in the spin-off “Furiosa” of “Mad Max: Fury Road”. Later, filmmaker Robert Eggers also invited her to star in the upcoming historical revenge film “The Northman”.
Poster of “Last Night in Soho”
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education