Over the past decade, Argentinian-British actress Anya Taylor-Joy has made an enormous name for herself. At seventeen, Anya was scouted by the Storm Management Modeling Agency and some years after that, entered the acting world. Since then, she has become a household name and has acted in both TV and film.
Here is a countdown of some of her best performances.
3. “The Queen’s Gambit,” 2020, Director Scott Frank
Anya is a master of the big screen and the small screen. In this Netflix limited series based on the novel “The Queen’s Gambit” by Walter Tevis, Anya plays chess savant Beth Harmon, and we see her rise to becoming a world chess champion. Beth grapples with many instances of loss and suffers a difficult childhood. Chess serves as a way for her to express her independence and harness her life. Beth is one of Anya’s most complex characters, and unlike the films listed here, “The Queen’s Gambit” has more creative freedom in terms of time. The series consists of seven 45-70 minute episodes and follows Beth’s life from childhood to adulthood. This was my first experience with seeing Anya in a TV show, and her performance sticks with me three years later, making this one of her strongest roles in my opinion.
2. “Emma,” 2020, Director Autumn de Wilde
Another fantastic role of Anya’s is her portrayal of Jane Austen’s “Emma.” Everything about this movie is exceptional, from its casting, acting and set to its script. One of the challenges of adapting centuries old text like Emma, which was published in 1815, is how out of touch it can seem with the audience. Anya combats this and brings fresh life into her character. Emma employs contemptuous glares, swift movements, toothy smiles and ample eye rolls indicating her view of the world. Austen’s defining markers for the character in the book are “Handsome, clever and rich,” which take shape in a surprisingly contemporary portrayal of a privileged young woman with Anya. Anya fits perfectly into the role, justifying its spot as number two on this list and number one in my heart.
1. “The Witch,” 2015, Director Robert Eggers
“The Witch” is a deeply unsettling story of a Puritan family set in 1600s New England. In this film, Anya plays Thomasin, the eldest daughter of devout parents William and Katherine. After a series of gruesome events that rattle the family and their secluded farm, Thomasin is accused of being a witch by her parents. “The Witch” plays with themes of religion, guilt, isolation and female oppression.
At age 18, “The Witch” was Anya Taylor-Joy’s breakout role. Though she has expressed scrutiny of her own performance in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, there is no doubt that her portrayal of Thomasin is striking. Even though Anya has had amazing performances since this role, I still hold reverence for the risks that she took with this one specifically. I also have to disagree with the auteur herself and say that this was no career breaker!
To see the other roles Anya Taylor-Joy has played, see her filmography on IMDB.