Anya Taylor-Joy

Despite being only in her 20s, Anya Taylor-Joy has established herself as one of the most sought-after actresses of her generation. The English-born American has a penchant for choosing thorny, beguiling roles and delivering one masterful performance after another. In less than a decade, she’s already made her mark on film and TV, and is only getting better with each new project.

anya taylor-joy got her start as a model before moving behind the camera to pursue acting full-time, though she continued to work in both fields. After she was scouted and landed an uncredited role in the 2014 teen horror movie Vampire Academy, she began earning smaller parts before her breakout hit in 2015’s The Witch, in which she played Thomasin, the eldest daughter of a Puritan family that encounters sinister forces in the woods near their settlement. Her performance was enough to garner her the first of many accolades and put her on the map.

In the years that followed, she reteamed with The Witch director Robert Eggers for the epic Viking drama The Northman, in which she stars as Olga of Birch Forest, a Slavic sorceress who teams up with Alexander Skarsgard’s Amleth to fend off his uncle and enslaved father. The film also features Nicole Kidman, Willem Dafoe, and Ethan Hawke.

Anya Taylor-Joy – Which Directors Has She Worked With?

The Queen’s Gambit and The Crown marked more big-screen appearances for Taylor-Joy, as well as a stint on the HBO limited series Westworld, as Elizabeth. In the latter, she was able to showcase her range as the calculating and manipulative Sophia Loren-esque heiress, whose icy manners made her a polarizing figure even among the aristocratic set.

She continued to land a steady stream of headline-grabbing projects, including a turn as the titular lead in Edgar Wright’s neo-noir thriller Last Night in Soho; an acclaimed turn as Casey Cooke in the horror-thriller Split; and her starring debut in the black comedy Thoroughbreds. She also joined the ensemble cast of David O Russell’s upcoming Netflix drama Succession, as well as the star-studded cast of Amsterdam and The Menu.

Following her breakout role, Taylor-Joy continued to impress audiences with her versatility and range. In 2016, she starred in the psychological thriller “Split,” directed by M. Night Shyamalan, playing Casey Cooke, a young girl abducted by a man with multiple personalities. Her performance earned widespread praise, further solidifying her status as a rising star in the industry.

Then, in 2022, she starred as Emma Woodhouse in the movie adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic novel Emma, for which she received her second Golden Globe nomination. Her chemistry with fellow star Margot Robbie is electric, and she evokes both the book’s wry humor and the story’s timeless appeal. Her version of the beloved character is fresh and nuanced, a perfect combination of haughty socialite and vulnerable mischief maker.