Not just Furiosa. The ten best roles of Anya Taylor-Joy

Last Friday, George Miller’s “Furiosa” finally arrived in theaters, the fifth production in the series that began with a modest 1979 film that kicked off a veritable boom in Australian post-apocalyptic films. The young Imperatori Furiosa is played by Anya Taylor-Joy, one of the hottest actresses of today’s younger generation.

And in recent days, the star of Miller’s latest film was named to The Hollywood Reporter’s prestigious list of the most promising actors under 35. Taylor-Joy’s name in this list is not surprising, because she has already appeared in highly regarded niche productions, blockbuster shows, as well as very popular series, in which she usually played the main characters. She is distinguished primarily by her very original facial features, as well as the inner strength that usually radiates from the characters she plays, even if they are in a very difficult situation. This allows her to play different characters convincingly. So it’s no wonder that we know her from the roles of extremely crazy girls who, with experience, gain more and more self-confidence, and classic female assassins. Currently, the artist is working with Scott Derrickson on the set of the action film “The Gorge”, made for Apple TV+, in which she will star with Miles Teller and Sigourney Weaver.

The Witch: A New England Folk Tale

After one lead role in – to put it mildly – a moderately successful production, as well as an appearance in a major but poorly reviewed film, Anya Taylor-Joy has been cast in one of A24’s great films, also by Robert Eggers. Himself. “The VVitch” was a huge success at the box office, earning PLN 40 million from a budget of PLN 4 million, thus starting a fad of popular horror films that continues to this day, and whose effect has been an interesting renaissance in “Lupus” International by Marek Bystrak.

Divides

Just a year later, Anya Taylor-Joy starred in M. Night Shyamalan’s film, which was widely praised as a definitive return to the creativity of The Sixth Sense, which is almost considered a cult classic. The script for this production was loosely based on the story of Billy Milligan, who suffered from dissociative identity disorder and was convicted of raping three people. In the film, the main character is played by James McAvoy, who is appreciated by critics and audiences (instead of Joaquin Phoenix, who was originally supposed to appear here). In 2019, the film had a sequel in the form of “Glass”.

Morgan

That same year, the actress starred in the poorly reviewed sci-fi thriller “Morgan”, which was widely viewed as a low-budget, weaker version of Alex Garland’s “Ex Machina.” Luke Scott, making his directorial debut, managed to assemble a great cast on the set, including Anya Taylor-Joy who played the lead role, which, however, did not prevent this questionable spectacle from failing at the box office.

Miniatures

Meanwhile, the actress starred in the three-episode British series “The Miniaturist,” the script of which was based on Jesse Burton’s novel. The film takes place at the end of the seventeenth century, following the fate of the young woman Nella Ortmann, who begins a new life with a wealthy Amsterdam merchant who has just married, where she faces the reluctance of his sister and those around her. The original gift she receives from her husband is a scale model of their house, which seems to not only reflect what is currently happening there, but also predict the future of its residents. The series is not well known in Poland, mainly due to its lack of live broadcast.

The Queen’s Gambit

The series adaptation of Walter Tevis’s famous novel turned out to be not only one of the biggest hits of the season on Netflix, but also another hugely popular production with Anya Taylor-Joy in the lead role. No wonder, because the story of the young orphan schoolboy who turned out to be an excellent chess player was later widely commented on, skillfully reflecting the realities of the times. I devoted a separate article to this series, in which I wrote about the connection between the scenario and the real characters, as well as the creator’s biography on a literary basis.

Last night in Soho

A stylish horror film in which the main character, fascinated by the 1960s, suddenly has the opportunity to see the decade with her own eyes and see how different it actually was from her imagination. Edgar Wright initially created the character with Anya Taylor-Joy in mind, but later cast her as Sandy the Singer, and chose Thomasin Mackenzie to play Eloise. The change turned out to be a classic goal, as both artists played brilliantly, giving some of the best performances of their careers.

Viking

The fact that Robert Eggers likes to work with actors he knows well, who are already accustomed to his diverse, original choices on set, is proven not only by the presence of Willem Dafoe in the cast of the film “The Viking”, but also by Anya Taylor-Joy and Ralph Ineson, who are well known Indeed, through their work in the movie The Witch. No matter how this picture was ultimately evaluated, there is no doubt that the second entry into the world of Vikings was more successful for the actress than the role in the already mentioned poor television “Viking Quest.”

Slim masks

The popular British series about a gang operating in Birmingham recently concluded its sixth season. As we know, every type of production needs expressive characters that fit well into known plot patterns, and one of these characters is a classic and effective manipulator. In this case, Gina Gray, played by Taylor-Joy, over time becomes Michael’s wife, as well as one of the heroes of the last two parts, in a way that convinces her husband to finally deal with his brothers, who are now seen almost exclusively as obstacles on the path to power.

Amsterdam

David O. Russell’s latest film was already nominated as a favorite for several film awards in 2023 long before its premiere, but was ultimately only appreciated for its makeup. Its main problem seems to be that the overly complex, multi-threaded plot is ultimately not even half of what its short synopsis might suggest. In the midst of family and social ties, the character played by Taylor-Joy, the wife of Valerie’s brother, played by Rami Malek, gets lost.

menu

In 2019, it looked like Alexander Payne would direct this film, but since the project’s development period was too long, he eventually had to quit it and Mark Mylod came in his place. This also included changing the actress in the lead role, because it was initially intended to be Emma Stone. Meanwhile, in the final version, she was played by Anya Taylor-Joy, who – like Ralph Fiennes – was nominated for a Golden Globe. This is not surprising, because the excellent audio-visual setting and expressive roles are the greatest advantages of this successful production.