Anya Taylor-Joy’s two most important acting influences: “She really doesn’t give a fuck”
It’s not uncommon for child actors for always being some of the most recognisable figures in the industry, for better or worse.
One of the most recent examples is Anya Taylor-Joy, who, technically not a child actor, landed her first major role straight out of the gate at just 19 with Robert Eggers’ first daring major feature, 2015’s The Witch.
Becoming an actor was always at the forefront of Taylor-Joy’s future goals, way before she managed to find her major breakthrough. Speaking to The Independent, she detailed the time when she was scouted on the street by a modelling agency, which led to her crossing paths with fellow actor Adam Leech. Agent details were exchanged, and in the twilight of her teens the actor found herself the lead of one of the most critically acclaimed, unique period horrors of the 2010s.
Since then, Taylor-Joy has built herself quite a career, with dramatic and intense action projects like The Queen’s Gambit, Peaky Blinders, Split, and more recently Furiousa: A Mad Max Saga proving her versatility and thensome. If you can’t think of anything else you’ve ever wanted to do, like Taylor-Joy can’t with acting, you need some pretty special influences to make you believe so early on.
In 1995, the first instalment in the Jumanji franchise was released, starring Robin Williams, and more importantly for Taylor-Joy, Kirsten Dunst, off the back of her own breakout role in Interview with the Vampire. Of that the actor added, “I remember the first time I saw Kirsten Dunst in Jumanji. I’d never seen a kid in a movie before who wasn’t much older than me. I thought ‘Maybe I can do that, that’s interesting’. She was also in Interview with the Vampire, and I was like, ‘You can get even darker and be in movies and still be little! That’s amazing’.”
When she spoke about her inspirations in 2017, Anya was 20 and starting to look towards the future and what type of actor she wanted to be. With an unconventional appearance that lends itself to apparent coldness, her deep admiration for Tilda Swindon’s approach is a no-brainer. Both sharing a blond crop, she continued how her approach was impacted by the older star, “Now, it’s Tilda Swinton. It’s been Tilda Swinton for a long time. I think she’s just such an artist. She really follows her artistic integrity. She really doesn’t give a fuck what other people think. At least that’s my projection onto her… I’m really nervous to meet her because she might think I’m a stalker, because I’ve mentioned her so much.”
Looking at Swindon’s own filmography, it’s easy to see where Taylor-Joy gets that idea from. Very few actors take on so many varying roles, from The Beach to Doctor Strange to The Grand Budapest Hotel and nail them with their signature stamp. Taylor-Joy’s next film is the action comedy Sacrifice, which in itself is yet another new realm for her to explore outside of the thrillers and dramas she often shines in, most certainly following in the footsteps of one of her main idols.
