With the seemingly cursed X-Men movie The New Mutants postponed for what feels like the millionth time, I wanted to take a hot minute to lavish some praise on one of its stars: Anya Taylor-Joy. Yes. I stan Anya Taylor-Joy HARD. Ever since her jaw-dropping performance in Robert Egger’s The Witch I’ve been more than a little obsessive about stalking her appearances in film and television. My IMDB search history is a testament to that.
So, instead of just lamenting the loss of The New Mutants AGAIN, I’m going to take this time to take you on a journey of some of Anya Taylor-Joy’s best roles, because this screen queen is one of the most formidable and badass actors in her generation.
We want to raid her closet in Thoroughbreds, channel our inner Agatha Christie to help her solve a mystery in 17th century Amsterdam in The Miniaturist, and gad about the charming English countryside with her as the handsome, clever and rich Emma Woodhouse in Emma. And that’s just the beginning.
So, let’s get to it!
5. Gina Gray in Peaky Blinders
Although Anya Taylor-Joy appears in the gritty English crime drama Peaky Blinders for a mere six episodes, she leaves an indelible impression. Set in 1929 Birmingham, Peaky Blinders centers around a cutthroat razor-blade wielding gang (they’re not called the peaky blinders for nothing). So naturally, Gina Gray is as fearsome as the rest of her crime syndicate family.
When she appears in season five, American-born Gina and her British expat husband, Michael, are a United States-dwelling couple who visit England after the Wall Street stockmarket crash. Financially devastated by the economic crisis, ambitious, wily, and quietly cunning, Gina encourages her husband and cousin to the head of the Peaky Blinders to seize control of the gang’s business empire.
Anya Taylor-Joy is a natural in period-type shows and films. Unplagued by anachronism ATJ’s powerful performances and nuanced portrayals of women in all points in history, she seamlessly fits into each era.
4. Petronella Brandt in The Miniaturist
Anya Taylor-Joy’s third starring role in 2017 was in three-part Masterpiece Theatre miniseries The Miniaturist. Adapted from Jessie Burton’s novel of the same name, this historical drama glimmers with intrigue and scandal.
Anya Taylor-Joys stars as Petronella Oortman, an impressionable young woman in Amsterdam in 1686. Hailing from the countryside and barely eighteen-years-old, Nella is quickly overcome by the splendor of the city and her wealthy, roguishly handsome merchant husband Johannes Brandt.
But all isn’t as it seems in the Brandt household, and Nella soon finds herself spiraling down a rabbit hole of secrets, deception, and darkness she never anticipated.
Bolstered up by sumptuous set design, lavish costumes, and on-location filming, Anya Taylor-Joy is ravishing in The Miniaturist. Her naive heroine Nella is an effervescent delight. Her gentleness and naivete make her radiant with wonder and curiosity.
Kind, inquisitive, and ruled by her heart, Nella is one of Anya Taylor-Joy’s most feel-good and fashionable performances.
3. Lily in Thoroughbreds
Written and directed by playwright Cory Finley, this 2017 twisted coming of age thriller saw Anya Taylor-Joy star opposite Bates Motel regular Olivia Cooke and the late Anton Yelchin.
Unlike her scream queen roles in The Witch, Morgan, Split, and Marrowbone before it, Anya Taylor-Joy takes on another breed of character in Thoroughbreds.
That character is Lily, an upper-crust Connecticut teen whose reunion with her disturbed childhood friend Amanda has dire consequences.
With her polished blond ponytail, peter pan collar blouses, and ribbon tie dresses, Lily exudes prep, prettiness, and popularity. But don’t let her sorority girl next door looks fool you. For all her bright-eyed innocence and perky personality, there’s a sliver of darkness inside her.
Enmeshed in her privilege and often ruled by her emotions, Lily and her sociopathic friend Amanda (Olivia Cooke) play off one another in almost primal ways. Sure, the central focus of Thoroughbreds is the cold-blooded murder the teens concoct, but the real main event is Amanda and Lily’s relationship and the single-minded dedication that teeters between darkly comical and downright scary.
2. Emma Woodhouse in Emma
In the latest adaptation of Jane Austen’s frothy Regency-era dramcom Emma, Anya Taylor-Joy plays the eponymous heroine, Emma Woodhouse.
Directed by Autumn de Wilde, Emma does for this Jane Austen classic what Greta Gerwig did for 2018’s Little Women and what Sophia Coppola did over a decade ago in 2006’s Marie Antoinette.
It breathes new life into the time-honored classic, making it modern and relatable without losing spirit, charm, and authenticity. All of which Emma has in spades.
Austen’s flawed heroine Emma Woodhouse dominates the screen with her luminous charisma, glamour, and confidence. Emma’s IDGAF attitude and her sense of self-importance may make her conceited at times, but they also depict that Emma truly knows her worth and refuses to be made small or silenced by anyone. But that doesn’t mean that she’s above feeling remorse or apologizing after she unleashes hurtful words and actions on the friends and townsfolk around her.
It’s Emma’s fashion for days, nuanced performance, and a personality that plays as honey badger meets queen bee, that makes Emma Woodhouse one of Anya-Taylor Joy’s best roles.
Which leads us to . . .
1. Thomasin in The Witch
Anya Taylor-Joy made her big-screen debut in this masterpiece from Robert Eggers.
In this Puritanical horror-drama, we follow pious teen Thomasin and her zealously religious family as they’re banished from their puritan community for their rigidity and set up a homestead on the edge of the harsh New England wilderness.
It’s not long before a series of ill omens and misfortunes begin railing down upon Thomasin’s family. Their infant child is abducted, their crops wither and die, and a vicious fever pushes their son Caleb to the brink of madness.
As the hysteria mounts and Thomasin’s family unravels more by the second, she quickly finds herself pegged as the force behind the misfortunes: a witch.
Anya Taylor-Joy is wholeheartedly committed to her role as Thomasin, and it shows. For one, she’s immensely talented at speaking in the authentic 17th century colonial English demanded of her. Ultimately, as Thomasin, Anya Taylor-Joy gives a harrowing, utterly unforgettable performance. Her raw emotions combined with the twisty psychological and brutal horror of The Witch is agonizing and breathtaking.
By the time we reach the bloody, gory, and goaty final act, ATJ’s powerhouse performance leaves us feeling like we’ve been gutted by a rusty hacksaw wielded by some unholy hand.
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