Anya Taylor-Joy is one of the most exciting actresses gracing our screens right now. Her performance in The Queen’s Gambit has captured EVERYONE and has left us all wanting to know more about the star.
From her childhood, acting career and personal life – here are 10 things that you didn’t know about Anya Taylor Joy.
40. She’s an insomniac
Like many stars, there’s not that much time to sleep when you’ve made it in the world of Hollywood.
Strange time schedules and long hours are just part and parcel of an actresses’ life. But, that’s not the reason behind her insomnia. As a child she developed a strange relationship with sleep which led to her having minimal hours of sleep per day.
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She viewed sleep in a similar way to death, like a kind of in-between state. As a young girl this idea was pretty daunting, and so she trained herself to sleep for just 3-4 hours a night. This isn’t something that bothers her – in fact she embraces it as it allows her to fulfil her hectic schedule. For most people the thought of having such a little amount of sleep sounds pretty awful, in fact most people would have to have a cup of coffee just to function. But she actually sees it as a positive because it gives her so much more time for other things. Plus, her self-confessed, boundless energy must definitely help her get by.
39. She had no formal acting training
This may come as a surprise to most people. She has never been formally trained in acting, and before her first premiere The Witch, she’d had very little training or experience with acting at all. Besides taking the usual drama classes in high school she’s had virtually nothing else to do with acting, despite loving it from a young age. She took part in a play at school and she knew right away that she had a passion for it which was something she had to pursue in the future.
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It’s hard to imagine that she has had no experience when we see her performing on our screens. Her subtle facial expressions and flair for acting seem like that of a professional who has been acting for years. Yet, She’s definitely a true natural talent, that’s for sure. One day her goal is to direct films of her own, she’s always loved the idea of being involved in the creative process around filming. But for now, she loves acting and feels fully committed to it for the next few years. She’s definitely not ready to give it up ANY time soon. But we’re sure if this is her ultimate goal, she’ll make it as a director one day.
38. She’s a trained ballet dancer
Is there an end to her list of talents? Up to the age of 15 she studied the art of ballet rigorously. When she got to 15 years old, she had a decision to make: whether to pursue ballet full time, or to have a change of career direction. She knew she couldn’t pursue both as the two pursuits are too time consuming.
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Ballet after all is a sport that takes constant perfection, and endless hours of work to both get to a good standard and to retain it. So, it’s very impressive that Anya has this hidden talent under her belt. When it came to her decision, in the end, she followed her heart which she has always known was in acting. Following her heart was definitely a good decision and she has never looked back since. She’s always been interested in doing some acting on the stage, and, with her dancing background she’d be pretty much set. This would be the perfect way to combine two of the things she loves doing the most. And of course, we’d love to see Anya on the Broadway stage.
37. She can play the electric guitar and Ukulele
Okay, so there are even more strings to her bow (literally). She’s also a very musical person and in her spare time she practices both the electric guitar and the Ukulele. She also loves singing even though she’s pretty shy about it still. And – she writes her own music. How can one person be so good at everything?
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She can act, she can dance, AND now we find out she can sing and play not only one, but two instruments. When it comes to her singing, she’s a pretty high standard. She’s actually showed some of her work to the famous singer-songwriter Johnny Flynn who has worked on a variety of major films. They sang together and played around with some of her songs and she found him really supportive – he was definitely a fan of her work. It’s safe to say that Anya has a very bright future indeed and who knows, maybe we can expect her to release a single in the future. If she ever gets sick of the acting world and Hollywood lifestyle, she’s got an array of talents to fall back on.
36. She’s known for playing the ‘outsider’
It seems Anya has made a name for herself by inhabiting mainly the ‘outsider’ kind of role. It turns out this isn’t a conscious decision, as she feels she doesn’t see roles or stereotypes she just sees characters. But this doesn’t mean she doesn’t identify best with this sort of role.
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Feeling like an outsider and feeling like she doesn’t belong to one place means that she can inhabit the role and portray it realistically. When she’s acting these kinds of roles, she really feels what the character feels so she can empathise with them. And, being able to draw on her own real-life experiences makes her performance come across much more genuine. So, perhaps she subconsciously gravitates to these kinds of characters because she feels a sense of familiarity with them. And, that’s probably why she acts them SO well.
35. She was nominated for a BAFTA rising star award
Back in 2017 Anya was nominated for a BAFTA rising star award – any upcoming actor or actresses’ dream. She was up against Tom Holland, Laia Costa, Lucas Hedges, and Ruth Negga within the category. In the end the award went to Spider Man’s Tom Holland – but the honour of being nominated and the recognition she gained from it did her career wonders, and I’m sure it softened the blow.
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Considering at this point she was still pretty young and had had a relatively short career, it is still very impressive to be nominated for such a prestigious award so soon. Being nominated for a BAFTA brings around all kinds of positive things. It makes you even more widely known, and recognised for being talented. After being nominated it is pretty much guaranteed that you’ll from then on be more in demand than ever. It was definitely no different for Anya. She was in high demand after this and her name was even more firmly established within the Hollywood world as someone to watch out for, and someone to take seriously.
34. She went to the same school as Prince Charles
Not many people have that kind of claim to fame. And any school that Prince Charles went to must be pretty prestigious. It turns out Anya had a very privileged start in life. She attended the Hill House preparatory school in Kensington, London. Prince Charles isn’t the only famous face that attended the school, as so did the singer/songwriter Lily Allen.
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She might have been impressed that she attended the same school as these famous faces. But now, it’ll be people bragging that they were at the same school as Anya Taylor-Joy. Before attending secondary school, she went to Queen’s Gate school in South Kensington (primary school). Her memories from school are not fond ones as she never felt as though she fit in. She never settled at school and struggled to make friends. Her school days aren’t particularly fond memories for her to look back on. She was actually pretty lonely there.
33. She found relocating to England traumatic
Growing up in Argentina and relocating to England at the age of 6 is hard in itself. Her family moved their whole life back to England – this is a hard thing to do for anybody. When you combine this with starting a new school in a new country and not speaking ANY English at all, it’s extremely dainting. It’s no wonder Anya struggled. She describes her time at school as traumatic as she was bullied due to not being able to speak the language.
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She then had to struggle to get to grips with learning the language to communicate with people. But people weren’t welcoming at all. She was excluded and bullied because she was different. She was always made to feel as though she was an outsider who never properly fit in. Struggling to make friends made her school days a very lonely time. This difficult early childhood explains her reason for moving to New York as a teen.
32. Her accent is a mixture of places
One of the most stand out unusual aspects of Anya is her accent. When you hear her speak the first thing you wonder is ‘where is she from’? Which, is exactly the reason for her unusual amalgamation of accents, because she’s lived all over. First, she was born in Miami, Florida in the U.S before moving to Argentina.
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Then, she moved to England for a few years before moving back to America. Her accent represents a mixture of different cultures which is why it is so unique to hear and why you can never quite pin point where her accent stems from. It is just another feature that makes her so unique. And, it represents a pretty cool life – having lived all over the world. She’s 24 and she’s lived in 3 completely different countries. She’s definitely a well-travelled woman.
31. She had to learn to play chess for The Queen’s Gambit
We’ve all seen The Queen’s Gambit, and we’ve all wondered – are they actually playing real chess? The speed that they move makes it seem impossible that the actors are performing real moves. But – they are. She has to learn chess theory for her role and every chess move that is made in the series is real (wow).
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She actually had to learn the exact sequence before shooting the scene. Chess is a highly skilled, fast paced game with an immeasurable amount of sequence combinations. She would sit before each chess scene and memorise it piece by piece. Considering the huge amount of chess scenes throughout the series, she had to spend learn a LOT of time, visualising and learning the game (kind of like in in the series). That definitely requires an impressive brain and memory in itself. Before the series, she had never had any previous chess experience which makes it all the more impressive.
30. Harry Potter helped her to learn English
Okay, so we all know that Harry Potter is amazing. But it actually helped Anya learn English. She grew up fluent in Spanish as she moved to Buenos Aires when she was just a baby. As she got older she actually refused to learn English in a stubborn attempt to return to Argentina.
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But – she finally realised that wasn’t going to work and when the finality of moving hit, she knew she would have to learn the English language. So, her uncle recommended that she gets stuck into the best loved series of all time: Harry Potter. It’s a pretty genius idea. Soon she knew all the spells (in Latin) and was reciting lines from the film around the house. Not only did her English improve, she also learnt the occasional word of Latin. So not only is it brilliant to watch, it’s also educational. Acting alongside Harry Melling (AKA Dudley Dursley) must’ve been the absolute dream.
29. Modelling started off her acting career
We all know and love Anya for her acting career – most of us probably know her particularly for her role in The Queens Gambit. Perhaps not so surprisingly, it was actually modelling that catapulted her into the industry.
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She was spotted by a modelling agency one day (which is pretty much everyone’s dream – being spotted one day and turning into a Hollywood star) when she was walking outside Harrods. It was during a dog walk when she used to live in London. Taylor-Joy was only 16 when she signed with STORM models. So, it’s STORM we have to thank for this budding new actress. She didn’t spend long in the modelling industry but she does do the occasional shoot here and there. Sarah Doukas – the founder of Storm models who spotted her, must be pretty pleased with herself now.
28. She avoided looking in mirrors
Unfortunately, like many stars, she has been subjected to her share of hate comments. One comment on Facebook particularly hurt her so much that Anya resorted to avoiding mirrors so that she wouldn’t have to see herself. She told W Magazine that someone had commented saying that her eyes made her look like a fish.
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Naturally, as anyone would be, she was really upset about the comment. She couldn’t help the comment affecting her self-esteem quite severely. But – now she’s a Hollywood star so she’s definitely had the last laugh. And, her striking eyes are a feature of envy. One thing she has always been confident about is her acting ability. From a young age she knew she would be successful and she knew she’d be a successful actress one day – and she was absolutely right. When her mother would ask if she wanted to go to University, she would answer surely that she wasn’t, because she knew she would make it one day.
27. Her first audition for Maleficent was rejected
Her first ever audition for an acting role was Disney’s Maleficent. She was ultimately rejected for the role for teen Maleficent and instead it was given to Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children’s Ella Purnell. Anya, like the rest of us, was clearly a big Disney fan and loved the idea of landing a Disney movie.
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But, despite this initial rejection, Witch premiered months later bringing her widespread recognition. Thankfully, she wasn’t disheartened by the rejection. She was still fuelled to find her next role. Rejection is just an inherent part of the industry and something which young actors and actresses have to accept from the beginning and be able to deal with. As the saying goes, everything happens for a reason. Which in this case – it certainly did, because from then on, her success and career has gone from strength to strength. Just months later she starred in her next big role.
26. She has two big celebrity crushes
We’re all nosey when it comes to the love lives or crushes of our fave celebs. So we can reveal that for Anya, her main celebrity crushes are Eddie Redmayne & Saoirse Ronan. Who can blame her?
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She’s been a huge fan of Saoirse and met her on Broadway after her show performance one night. And it’s no mystery as to why. The stunning actress is always captivating in her films and we can see why she is one if Anya’s crushes. When it comes to Eddie – she can’t resist his height, red hair and freckles. And we’re all a sucker when it comes to Eddie Redmayne – it’s impossible not to love him.
25. Her dad was a motorboat racer
It seems only right that the dad of a big actress has to have a cool job too. As she was growing up her dad was a motorboat racer – it doesn’t get much cooler than that. That’s the kind of stuff we see in movies.
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She’s a pretty private person, so she doesn’t share that much information when it comes to her loved ones. I’m sure considering her father’s job, her upbringing must have included some pretty exciting experiences, and not exactly the conventional kind – lucky Anya. Whilst most of us were doing conventional things like playing with toys, or riding bikes – she was out with her dad on her motorboat. Never mind starring in films, it sounds like she’s lived in an action movie herself.
24. She’s naturally a blonde
We’ve seen her rocking all kinds of colours and hair styles, including the infamous red bob in The Queens Gambit. In Split, Thoroughbreds, Glass, and Radioactive she has jet black hair. And, she’s pretty much tried out every other colour and style under the sun.
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BUT, she’s a blonde naturally. On most occasionas you’ll probbaly see her with brunette hair, it seems to be the colour she goes back to the most. She’s very experimental when it comes to hair so it’s kind of hard to picture her natural colour. It’s safe to say she can pull off any look she likes. There hasn’t been a style that this stunning young actress can’t pull off.
23. She’s one of six children
She is one of 6 children, which must be a very fun environment to grow up in – but must also have it’s moments of madness. Growing up with 5 siblings must definitely help strengthen your character. Perhaps this is the reason for her spirit and independence which gave her the drive to start her career at such a young age.
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She is the youngest of all the children and there is a seven-year age gap between her and the next oldest sibling. In fact, a couple of her siblings are in their 50s now. As she was the youngest whilst her other siblings were older, they were always at different stages in life. Therefore, most of her eldest siblings had long since flown the nest. I guess you could say she kind of experienced the best of both. Most of her family were much older than her. So, while she grew up surrounded by family, she also enjoyed the perks of being treated like an only child. But she always knew she had that huge support system behind her.
22. She was dating Ben Seed
Although she’s been plummeted into fame she definitely likes to keep her private life private (who can blame her). When you’re in the public eye most of the time, it’s only natural to want to keep the personal parts of your life for yourself, and not for the rest of the world. But we can reveal that she was intil fairly recently dating photographer Ben Seed.
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Ben became known as a photographer after one of his pictures went viral online, since then he’s had huge success. The pair really were a talented duo. She had been dating Ben for a long while and things seemed to be very serious between the two. They were often spotted out and about together and seemed to be a pretty sturdy couple until around 2020. Ben is also very private when it comes to sharing details about their relationship. But, perhaps 2020 was the end of that relationship – and she is currently dating someone new.
21. She doesn’t like girlfriend roles
Although she may be one, she doesn’t want to act the role of a girlfriend. And, it’s for a very noble reason. She loves the roles she’s previously acted (as do we) for their portrayal of complicated, independent and strong women (i.e Beth Harmon). She revealed that she wants to be a part of a new era where she plays women in their own right as characters regardless of their relationship status.
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She actually sends back the script if it’s revealed that her character has been given a boyfriend. She does not think the relationship should be relevant to her character – when they are their own person in their own right. When she is sent a good character role that turns out to be a girlfriend of another character, she questions why it is necessary. She does not like tot take away from the importance of the woman she is portraying. So not only is she an amazing actress – she’s also a brilliant role model for women. This is definitely the kind of actress we want to represent women. Keep the flag flying Anya.
20. She Thinks She’s Weird Looking
She may have always been confident in her acting abilities, but when it comes to her appearance, it’s a different story. Despite knowing she always wanted to be in films, there was always a thought in the back of her head telling herself she wasn’t beautiful enough to star in films. When she did the role of Emma, she worried that she was the first actress doing the role that was not beautiful.
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It’s something that she has always felt, and always lived with. She insists that she’s ‘weird looking’. Because of today’s beauty standards, she feels (like most women) that she doesn’t fit into the narrow, category that the beauty industry has deemed ‘beautiful’. She revealed that one of the good things about inhabiting her own body is that she does not have to look at it. Sadly, instead of embracing her unique beauty as a positive thing – it is something that makes her self-conscious. She is however working on accepting herself for the way she looks, and she’s made it a practice to not turn down compliments.
19. At school she would get locked inside lockers
We knew that she had a hard time at school, but Anya was severely bullied at school. She had opened up about her time at school and realises just how bad it was. The kids at her school did not understand her on any level, in any way shape or form. At this point she even struggled to understand herself.
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Coming from three different places and uprooting to a new country for the first time made her feel as though she didn’t belong anywhere. She revealed how she was too English to be Argentine, too Argentine to be English, and too American to be anything. Instead of the children welcoming her and looking after her as someone new who needed friendship and guidance, they picked on her in an extreme way. Heartbreakingly, she spent most of her time crying in the school toilets and the kids at the school would torment her and actually locked her in the school lockers.
18. She’s an Aries
Luckily for all the Aries people out there, they share their zodiac with Anya Taylor-Joy. Her birthday falls on April 16, which makes her an Aries. This sign is known for being one of the most cheerful and relentlessly determined zodiac signs. This fits extremely well. She always has a smile on her face, and remains cheerful even though she’s faced her fair share of childhood difficulties. Her determination is obvious, without it, she definitely would not be one of the most successful Actresses of the time.
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It’s a hard industry to get into, never mind to take it by storm like she’s doing. Another thing to know about an Aries, is that they do not let anything stand in their way (including relationships). This is no different for Anya. She never lets thing get in her way and is so stubborn that once she has set her mind to nothing – there is absolutely nothing that can stop her, and she makes sure she will get there. Aries people can come across as a little intense – and she’s no different – she makes it very clear how passionate she is and that she will only do things that she is 100% invested in.
17. She’s in Peaky Blinders
Another top hit series was Peaky Blinders. The show’s popularity was so massive that it so far stands at 5 series. And, we’re pretty sure it’s not done yet. Anya Taylor-Joy landed herself in the show in series 5. By series 5 the show had such a huge fan following that any actor or actress landing a role is pretty successful.
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She appears as Gin Gray, an American who meets Michael Ray (actor Finn Cole) in New York and later becomes his wife. She had a pretty big role in this season and appeared in all 5. She became one of the series’ antagonists and caused quite a stir amongst the Shelby household. Despite filming being delayed and temporarily halted due to COVID-19, Anya is set to appear back on the screen for season 6, and we can’t wait for it.
16. She’s worth a lot of money
It’s only natural to be intrigued about how much a successful young Holly wood star earns. We see her on our screens and on our favourite Netflix shows – so how much is she worth? She’s doing extremely well for herself. She’s been involved in hit movies and binge-worth series.
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Her net worth is roughly 3 million USD. She is one VERY successful woman. By the age of 24 she is a millionaire, and her net worth is only going to increase the ways things are going for her. She’s only just getting started in what we’re sure will be a long and fulfilling career. So, watch this space. Perhaps she’ll become one of the richest most successful women of our time. Who knows?
15. She’s in a relationship with Eoin Macken
We’re not sure when her relationship with Ben Seed ended, or when this new romance blossomed – but we can confirm that she is now in a relationship with Eoin Macken. Eoin is a model, and he has modelled for the like of Abercrombie and Fitch. He is also an actor. He starred in TV programme Merlin as Sir Gwaine.
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And, he directed the 2020 film Here Are the Young Men, in which Anya starred playing the character Jen. Perhaps this is how the pair were first introduced together. The pair have been spotted recently and about and, on a date, together. The couple were seen drinking and kissing out in public. What’s even more exciting is she is wearing a ring on her engagement finger. Considering she is such a private person – it cannot be confirmed that she is engaged. But it certainly looks promising.
14. She’s always wanted to look like an elf
Okay, so this point is a more peculiar one – but, we can see where she’s coming from. Apparently, she has always wanted to look like an elf. She actually went as far to say that it was her number one goal in life and she had spent her whole life trying to look like one too.
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She’s always been a fan of the magical and fantasy genre so this desire to look like an elf definitely makes sense. When she turned platinum blonde for a while, she loved the fact that her new look was paying homage to Galadriel, Cate Blanchett’s character in the fantasy saga Lord of the Rings. This is the dedication of a true LOTR fan.
13. She spent Christmas alone
For most of us Christmas was a much quieter affair than usual, with a huge amount of people spending Christmas entirely alone. Anya was no different. She would usually spend Christmas in Argentina with her family, but of course due to COVID she was unable to travel to see them or vice versa. So, she said she was pretty much by herself for over the Christmas period this year.
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She still wanted to make Christmas a time of positivity despite being alone. So, she thought about something she could do to enjoy her time. One of her traditions that she loves the most is watching the Lord of the Rings movies (don’t we all). She really got stuck in and enjoyed many a LOTR movie marathon. In fact, she’s such a huge fan that she doesn’t only watch the films, she watches the extended versions because she just can’t get enough.
12. She has Scottish heritage
Besides her mixed background and her complex identity – there’s actually another culture that we did not know she was linked to. She actually has Scottish heritage too. Her father, is part Scottish, and so there’s a fourth nationality to add to her already exciting background.
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This is something that she has not really discussed much in public as she likes to keep the lives of her family private. But when you listen to Anya – listen out for the Scottish twang. Once you know, you can definitely make out a little bit of a Scottish accent. Argentinian, American, English and Scottish – now that is one cool heritage.
11. She’s from a very wealthy background
As we know, Anya’s father, Dennis Alan Taylor, became a professional powerboat racer. He won 2 Union Internationale Motonautique world championship But, before this he had also been an international banker, and a very successful one too. After years of banking, that was when he pursued his motorboating dream. So, it’s safe to say – he’s a very wealthy man.
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Not only that, he was the owner of a private jet hire company, which is a very wealthy pursuit. Her mother, Anya Josephine Marie Taylor-Joy was born and raised in Zambia. She is a very successful career woman. She was a psychologist who did very well for herself. The pair became very passionate conservationists, and they moved to London when Anya was 6, whilst pursuing their ambitions in conservation
10. She’s known for horror roles
During her relatively short acting career, there is an unmistakable trend towards the horror genre. She has been known as some kind of dark queen of the horror and gothic genre. Her first ever appearance in a film was in the Vampire Academy. From here, there was a succession of movies she did that were of a similar theme and genre, for example The Witch.
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Amongst these she also starred in the science fiction horror film Morgan, directed by Luke Scott and several more horror movies. When she has been asked about this however, she says that she doesn’t purposefully pick to act in horror films. She picks a role based on her character and her script, and she thinks the genre is actually of no relevance if she loves the role. But there is definitely a pattern here. Perhaps it’s because she loves to watch the horror/fantasy genre herself. She’s not finished with the genre yet either – there’s more horros style movies coming in the future too.
9. She’s won several awards
She may be young, but she’s been acting a while now and she’s made a huge impression in her time as an actress. Throughout her career so far, she has picked up several acknowledgements and awards. In 2016 she won the Gotham Independent Film Awards – Breakthrough Actor. That was one of four awards she won in 2016, as well as coming runner up in some and being nominated for several others.
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In 2017 she won four more, and since she has continued each year to be nominated for awards. It seems this actresses’ talent is being largely recognised. She is also up for a nomination this year for her role as Beth Harmon in The Queen’s Gambit. This is the Critics’ Choice Television Awards and her category is Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television. That award is yet to be announces so we’ll be backing her all the way.
8. She was allowed to keep the outfits from The Queen’s Gambit
This show had one of the best fashion turn arounds of all time. In the Queen’s Gambit the character Beth Harmon started by having just one dress that people picked on for being ugly. THEN, she started making her own money from her chess competitions and she started treating herself more and more to the occasional outfit.
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In no time at all she was the best dressed woman around and she became a style icon. It’s no wonder at all that Anya wanted to take home the outfits (who wouldn’t) and she was told she allowed to. Unfortunately for Anya, that didn’t work out. The show was so popular that the clothing became worth so much that they are now displayed in a museum. She doesn’t get the clothes but she did get the extreme success of the show – I guess it’s bitter sweet.
7. She loves Beth Harmon
Anya loves the character Beth Harmon. She connected to Beth more than any other role she’s ever performed. She created a real bond and understanding with Beth Harmon that actually left her heart broken when filming was over and she could no longer play her. She created such a strong bond and gave more of herself to this character than ever before.
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She loved the time she spent acting Beth and felt connected to her in more ways than one. Once she had began her role, she realised that Beth Harmon was a voice she had always carried inside herself. At the core of her, and the core of Beth Harmon are some of the same struggles, this bonded her with her character like never before. Hopefully there’s a season two and then she (and us) can be reunited with Beth Harmon.
6. She refuses to get involved with her friend’s love lives
After playing the role of Jane Austen’s Emma (who loved to play the matchmaker) she revealed she will not get involved in her friends love lives. She has never tried to set anyone up and tries to stay well out of it. She is afraid of causing unnecessary drama or supporting a relationship that will end badly for one of her friends.
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Which, does sound like a pretty sensible thing to do because it could go one of either two ways – very well, or very badly. So instead of having an input – she stays well out of it. Two of her friends once liked each other and she felt very conflicted when they tried to discuss their relationship with her as she did nit want to take sides. Very quickly, she told them that she would not get involved (probably wise).
5. She’s had a panic attack on set
She comes across as a very joyful person – I mean, it is in her name after all, but behind her happy go lucky demeanour she does struggle with confidence. Filming for Jane Austen’s Emma, was one of the films that scared her the most. Emma as a character is a very self-assured character, she knows her beauty, and believes that everybody around her pretty much dotes on her.
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To portray this was pretty overwhelming for Anya, especially when that kind of confidence does not come naturally to her. One day on set, after several intense hours of filming and learning new skills, she had a panic attack. Whilst she was suffering from a panic attack, she was also worrying that she was delaying filming for everybody. What helped her most though was everybody’s reaction to her, the overwhelming love and support meant that it only lasted for half an hour and she felt fully supported by the crew.
4. She takes time to look after her mental health
She’s had to work on how she deals with her mental health, it’s a constant process and not something that came to her naturally. Essentially, her main belief is that you have to be kind to yourself, you have to treat yourself as though you’d treat you best friend, as a saviour, and as your own mother.
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That way – she believes you will truly look out for yourself and take care of yourself. And, if something is bothering you, really take the time to find out why. She reflects and finds out why she is feeling the way she is so that she can rationalise it. Plus, she’s learnt to let things go. So, if she has a bad day on set one day, she lets it go and realises that with the highs inevitably come the lows, and that’s okay.
3. She spent Christmas alone
For most of us Christmas was a much quieter affair than usual, with a huge amount of people spending Christmas entirely alone. Anya was no different. She would usually spend Christmas in Argentina with her family, but of course due to COVID she was unable to travel to see them or vice versa. So, she said she was pretty much by herself for over the Christmas period this year.
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She still wanted to make Christmas a time of positivity despite being alone. So, she thought about something she could do to enjoy her time. One of her traditions that she loves the most is watching the Lord of the Rings movies (don’t we all). She really got stuck in and enjoyed many a LOTR movie marathon. In fact, she’s such a huge fan that she doesn’t only watch the films, she watches the extended versions because she just can’t get enough.
2. She’s had sexist comments
Whilst her life may look like she’s living the dream Hollywood lifestyle, it doesn’t mean that she doesn’t experience sexist comments within the acting world. She is particularly angered by people’s choices of language in regards to gender. In particular she finds that if a fellow male actor gives his opinion on set about the script, he’ll be praised as thoughtful and intellectual.
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BUT, if a woman does the same, she is said to be bossy, interfering and forceful. This is what she has been told in the past. It’s this kind of contradictory behaviour and use of words that particularly anger her. Thankfully, whenever she experiences this and calls the behaviour out – her fellow male counterparts are just as angered by it.
1. She’s passionate about equality
Hollywood in recent years has come under particular criticism for its lack of gender equality. This is something that Anya also points out about the industry. She believes that one of the main problems is a lack of representation. For example, with female directors. Whilst she points out that there are many female directors who have made amazing movies, this has not been brought to anyone’s attention.
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Yet, there are countless programmes made around male directors and their achievements. She realises this isn’t just a gender issue, as she points out that we don’t have that representation of people from different races, or trans people for example. She’s very passionate about the issue of equality and continue to take her stand. Eventually, she thinks people will realise how we’ve been living a very one-sided story of history.
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