Anya Taylor-Joy – biography, photos, height and weight, personal life 2020

Anya Taylor-Joy's childhood

The future actress was born in Miami, Florida, on April 16, 1996, into an immigrant family. Her mother is a native of England and Spanish by blood, and her father has Argentine and Scottish roots. In addition to Anya, the couple had five children. The girl spent her childhood partly in Argentina and partly in the UK.

Anya Taylor-Joy's height is 169 cm

As a child, Taylor-Joy fell in love with dancing. Her parents sent her to a ballet school, where she could have achieved serious success if not for the family’s frequent moves from one country to another.

Anya was unable to become a real professional ballerina, but she managed to prove herself as a fashion model. While studying in high school, the girl began to take part in various photo shoots and appeared on the covers of fashion publications, calendars and posters, advertising products of world-famous brands.

Anya Taylor-Joy started out in modeling

Anya Taylor-Joy's career

At the beginning of 2014, Anya Taylor-Joy decided to try her hand at acting. The 18-year-old actress made her debut in an episode of the youth fantasy film “Vampire Academy.” It should be noted that the role was so small that the actress was not even listed in the credits.

Anya Taylor-Joy has a mesmerizing alien appearance

After this experience, Anya played in several television series - the detective film “Young Mors”, the popular action film “Viking Adventures”, as well as in the science fiction film “Atlantis”.

Anya Taylor-Joy became famous for her role as the girl Thomasina in the Victorian horror film The Witch. In the story, a family of pilgrims retires into the wilderness, away from worldly temptations. Thomasina is the eldest child and has many responsibilities, including supervising the younger children. She notices that strange events are happening in the area, but no one believes the girl.

“The Witch” - trailer The horror movie turned out to be completely untypical - there were no loud screeches or monsters that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The film was frightening due to its immersion in the gloomy atmosphere of the peculiarities of secluded rural life and village beliefs. Stephen King himself admitted that the film gave him goosebumps.

Still from the film “The Witch”

The actress became a real discovery at the Sundance Film Festival, where The Witch was first presented. After this success, the girl was noticed in Hollywood and offered a key role in the horror-thriller Morgan, but it did not gain popularity with either critics or viewers, failing miserably at the box office and receiving devastating reviews, despite the participation of the well-known Kate Mara and Rose Leslie.

Anya Taylor-Joy on the set of the movie Morgan

In 2020, the girl played one of the main roles (Charlotte Bauman) in the biographical film “Barry,” which told about the student life of Barack Obama, the future president of the United States. The premiere took place at the Toronto International Film Festival. Unfortunately, this film was not released in Russian cinemas.

Anya Taylor-Joy in the movie "Barry"

In 2020, Anya Taylor-Joy was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Rising Star and a London Film Critics Circle Award for Young British/Irish Performer of the Year, but failed to win awards on both occasions.

Anya Taylor-Joy on the timeless charm of Jane Austen's most important anti-heroine

The long-awaited film adaptation of the novel “Emma” by director Autumn de Wilde will delight viewers with an abundance of feathered hats, barbed jokes and views of magnificent country estates in candy-pastel colors. The plot centers on a completely modern anti-heroine - the titular high-society matchmaker played by Anya Taylor-Joy.

The actress, who is half British and half Argentinean and was born in Miami, is no stranger to period dramas. Popularity came to her with the film “The Witch” (2015), where she played a girl from a Puritan family who is persecuted by evil forces. Then there was the role of a kidnapping victim in the film Split (2017) and its sequel Glass (2019), there was also the role of a bloodthirsty teenage girl in the film Thoroughbreds (2017) and the role of a would-be bride obsessed with her dollhouse in the TV series "The Miniaturist" (2017). Considering the darkness and depth of Taylor-Joy's previous work, Emma may come as a surprise to many. An important caveat: the casting in it is brilliant - it is thanks to the cast that this biting and caustic work looks many times more interesting than the usual sweet-sweet costume movie novel.

Still from the film "Emma", 2020

Vogue caught up with Anya to discuss Emma's vanity, the timeless charm of Jane Austen's work, and how the film's colorful cast continues to chat for days on WhatsApp even though filming wrapped a year ago.

De Wilde’s style is very recognizable, how was your acquaintance with her and her author’s philosophy?

It was amazing. I was on my way to New York when a producer called me, whom I don't know very well, and said: “We want you to play Emma, ​​we're flying out with the director, we'll meet tomorrow?” I couldn't take the offer seriously at the time, but then I met Autumn and, you know, it was the best first date of my life. We had lunch and went for a walk around the West Village - seven hours walking through antique shops and chatting about life. We literally fell in love with each other. Thoughts about “Emma” have not left us ever since.

Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Beckinsale, Romola Garai - they all once played Emma. Were you worried about this?

To be honest, I had never seen these adaptations and, having received the role, I decided not to watch them, because I would probably panic. The only movie based on Emma that I enjoy watching again is Clueless. I immediately realized that my Emma would be even cooler than Cher.

Still from the film "Emma", 2020

Your version of “Emma” turned out to be quite caustic and satirical, most film adaptations were not like that, which cannot be said about Austen’s original work.

Austin writes so witty, talented and funny that you want to laugh out loud. I remember telling one of my friends that I was working on a comedy that was also a costume drama. The reaction was amazement: “What could be funny there?” People have a prejudice about historical films - the plot takes place in such a distant past that it seems to everyone almost science fiction! Although his characters are the same people, confused, with their own flaws, only in corsets. My Emma began with a description of Jane Austen herself. She said: “This heroine is unlikely to be much liked by anyone except me.” That's what I found interesting. When Emma is cruel, she's really cruel, you know. But she also has a heart, and a conscience will appear. This is, after all, a story of correction and redemption.

This film is a comedy, melodrama and a historical work at the same time. Did de Wilde give you any tips?

We were all told to watch A Room with a View and Bringing Up Baby. Without Bringing Up Baby, we would hardly have understood what eccentric habits Autumn expected from her Emma. We wanted to play with genres - we jumped back and forth. When it came to discussing a particular scene, the director would ask how we, the actors, saw it. We described our idea, agreed on everything and carefully discussed it again. Our team was quite noisy, unruly, like a pack of cats, but Autumn handles it well.

Mia Goth and Anya Taylor-Joy on the set of the film Emma

Johnny Flynn, Mia Goth, Bill Nighy, Josh O'Connor starred with you - what was the atmosphere like on set?

We were given two weeks to rehearse, but we did it without costumes and without going to the location. The main thing was to get to know each other, to get to know each other better. Thus was born a true friendship that continues to this day. A year has passed since the end of filming, and our WhatsApp chat of 18 people is still active. It was a lot of fun on set, sometimes too much fun. Sometimes Autumn had to shout at us: “Guys! We actually need to make a film.”

The costumes, designed by Oscar-winner Alexandra Byrne, are simply incredible. Tell us about your collaboration with her?

There were a lot of fittings, and Alex and I became close. This really helped me get into the role. Emma is a person accustomed to shining and surrounding herself with roses. She looks at herself in the mirror and thinks: “Isn’t she a beauty? And I just got out of bed.” Once they put me on a coat with an unusual decoration on the back, and at some point I realized that I was saying my lines while looking at the interlocutor over my own shoulder - I really wanted to show off. Hairstyle is also an important detail. At the beginning of the film, Emma's curls are tightly curled, everything in her image is adjusted to the smallest detail. Then Emma becomes softer - and the curls along with her, the color palette changes. The outfits reflect the nature of the heroine.

Which of the looks is your favorite?

For sentimental reasons, I have to say that the final one is from the proposal scene. This dress and I went through so much together - rivers of tears, and it all ended with a real nosebleed. At a crucial moment in the story, Emma's nose bleeds, and in some mysterious way it actually started to bleed for me.

Anya Taylor-Joy in her favorite dress from the set of “Emma”

We are talking about the very moment that brings Emma back to earth. Is it not he who makes her image so attractive?

I think the enduring charm of the book and its heroine is that they are so tangible and realistic. Each of us lives with a piece of Emma inside or knows someone like Emma. We all have that friend who likes to control everything, and you’re like, “Darling, I love you very much, but sometimes I really want to punch you.” This youthful arrogance will never go away, because every year a huge number of people turn 18, they suddenly begin to think that they have matured and now know better than anyone how to do it.

In addition, the image of Emma correlates with various fantasies and illusions that are common to many. The illusion that you will always be able to take care of your father, that it is not at all necessary to leave your parental home. Even the fact that you can go back in time and kiss the guy who was once your best friend. All these themes are timeless.

The film "Emma" will be released in Russia on April 16.

Personal life of Anya Taylor-Joy

Almost nothing is known about the personal life of the young actress. Anya Taylor-Joy is still very young and does not seem to see the need to build a serious relationship yet. The press has yet to discover even a hint of them.

Anya Taylor-Joy is in no hurry to get married

In an interview, the girl admitted that she loves coffee and truffles, and starts every day with dancing - her ballet past makes itself felt.

Filmography

Anya Taylor-Joy now

Anya continues to act in commercials and act in films. The premiere of the psychological thriller “Split” was planned for March 2017 in Russia (the film was released in the States back in September), where the famous British actor James McAvoy and young Haley Lu Richardson became her partner on the set. James McAvoy and Anya Taylor-Joy in the film “Split” The plot was reminiscent of “The Incredible Story of Billy Milligan” and “The Collector” at the same time: a young man, in whose brain two dozen personalities coexist, diametrically different from each other, kidnaps three girls.

At the premiere of “Split”
It should be remembered that Anya Taylor-Joy is still very young and has not yet fully decided what career she will choose – modeling or acting. However, at the moment, filming in films gives her pleasure, and the girl plans to continue acting in films. In 2017, they promise to release two more films with her participation: the drama “Thoroughbred” (one of the last films with the participation of the deceased Anton Yelchin) and the thriller “Marrowbone”. It is also known that Anya agreed to film in the British melodrama “The Sea Change”. The plot details of all these projects are kept secret for now.

The most interesting

Actresses who have overcome alcohol addiction (05.15.2019)

Actresses who mutilated themselves for the sake of a role (06.12.2017)

In the same year, new films with Anya Taylor-Joy were released. We are talking about the thriller “Marrowbone” and the drama “Purebloods”. Ahead of the actress will be filming with British filmmakers, who invited her to the melodrama “The Changing Sea”.

Still from the movie “Purebloods”

Anya Taylor-Joy in Split

In the fall of 2020, the thriller “Split” was released on cinema screens, where Anya shone with Hollywood star James McAvoy.

The main character of the film is a man with 23 personalities that live inside him and are radically different from each other. Three girls are captured by the maniac, one of whom is played by the heroine of our story.

Actress in the film “Split”

According to critics, Anya Taylor-Joy in “Split” fits perfectly into the author's aesthetics of the cult modern director M. Night Shyamalan. She plays the role of the most savvy hostage of James McAvoy's hero. Critics note that the famous actor’s charisma failed to overshadow the talent of the young actress. On screen they look like equal partners. This is especially evident in the scene when the main character of the film manifests his 24th personality - the Beast.

Critics have written that "Split" is a mixture of "The Incredible Story of Billy Milligan" and "The Collector." 9 million dollars were spent on its production, and the fees amounted to almost 250 million.

Thanks to this film, the young actress was no longer considered a “scream queen,” and critics paid close attention to her.

Anya Taylor-Joy in "The Witch"

The actress's first significant film work was the Victorian horror film The Witch. Anya Taylor-Joy played Thomasina in it. The film is shot in the genre of a beautiful and creepy fairy tale. In the 17th century, a Puritan family moves to New England. They find themselves in a remote place where there are no worldly temptations. The heroine Anya is the eldest child in the family. She helps her parents in everything, looks after her little brothers and sisters. Thomasina observes strange events that occur in this area, but when she told her parents about them, they considered it a fiction.

"The Witch" is filled with a dark atmosphere. Village beliefs and secluded rural life deepen the colors even more. According to Stephen King himself, he got goosebumps while watching the film. The creators of the horror film spent $3 million on its production and earned $40 million. The film was popular among fans of this genre. It was shown at the Sundance Festival, where it premiered.

Critics praised Taylor-Joy's work in this film. They noted that the eighteen-year-old actress has a magnetic look. The film received several awards during the Saturn Awards and Gotham Awards. It is “The Witch” that can be considered a successful Hollywood start for the young actress.