‘The Queen’s Gambit’ actress has taken the world by storm with her performance on the show. Here’s some cool trivia about Anya Taylor-Joy.
Anya Taylor-Joy in ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ is a delight to watch. Playing the character of Beth Harmon, an orphaned teenager with an uncanny gift for chess, the actress has accrued acclaim from both critics and fans all over the world.
Highlights —
- Anya Taylor-Joy learned English with help from Harry Potter
- She told her parents she wanted to act, at 16, in a unique way
- The actress avoided mirrors because of her looks
Taylor-Joy broke into the world of entertainment through the horror movie ‘The Witch‘, steadily working her way up on the merit of her amazing talent for acting and charming screen presence. In ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ she has earned special praise for the delivery of lines, her facial expressions, and even body language.
Who wouldn’t want to know more about this bursting powerhouse of talent? Here are 5 of the coolest facts we could find about Anya Taylor-Joy.
1/5
Anya Taylor-Joy learned English with help from Harry Potter
The actress was born in the US, grew up in Argentina until the age of 8, and only then moved to the UK. It is no surprise then that she didn’t know a word of English. In fact, she refused to learn English, until she realised that living in the UK, she would have to learn English. So she took help from … Harry Potter! She would read Harry Potter along with her uncle, which helped her.
2/5
Her role was so exciting, she literally ran to discuss it
Taylor-Joy was so excited about Beth Harmon, that she ran to meet with the creator of the show.
This is special because the actress is not a runner! Nevertheless, once she finished the book upon which the Netflix show is based, she was so thrilled about the character of Beth Harmon and the story, that she couldn’t help but literally run to creator Scott Frank to talk about it.
3/5
She told her parents she wanted to act, at 16, in a unique way
If there is one thing about the actress, it is that she seems to know her mind. When she was 16, ‘The Queen’s Gambit’s’ Anya Taylor-Joy wrote an essay to her parents in which she declared she wanted to quit school and pursue acting. And her parents let her! Though very reluctantly, we imagine.
4/5
The actress’s first-ever audition was for the role of “Maleficent”
Taylor-Joy’s first-ever audition was for the Disney movie ‘Maleficent’ as young Maleficent. It didn’t work out and the role eventually went to the actress Ella Purnell, but she loved the chance of being able to be in a Disney film. From then on, Anya Taylor-Joy’s has been starring on many movies and TV shows such as ‘Split’, ‘Emma’, and ‘Peaky Blinders‘.

5/5
Anya Taylor-Joy avoided mirrors because of her looks
A mean comment on Facebook about her looks made the actress so upset that she started to avoid mirrors.
She told “W Magazine” that someone once told her on Facebook that her eyes gave her the appearance of a fish. A mean thing to say, indeed, which actually resulted in the actress avoiding mirrors altogether.
How are you enjoying her acting in ‘The Queen’s Gambit’? Let us know in the comments section below.
