Menu Star Anya Taylor-Joy's Frantic Schedule Had Her Remotely Shooting Scenes For Peaky Blinders
2022 has seen Anya Taylor-Joy team up with "The Witch" director Robert Eggers for the brutal Norse revenge film "The Northman" and David O. Russell for "Amsterdam." To round out the year, Taylor-Joy is currently headlining "The Menu," the latest film from "Succession" and "Game of Thrones" director Mark Mylod. Looper awarded the film a perfect 10/10 rating, describing it as "an ingeniously clever horror-comedy" that satirizes the elite. As expected, Taylor-Joy is one of the standouts from "The Menu," with reviewer Reuben Baron praising the star for being "the source of the film's most compelling character development." Sitting at a cozy 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, "The Menu" is just the latest hit Taylor-Joy has delivered in recent years.
Taylor-Joy has emerged as one of Hollywood's most in-demand stars despite only debuting in 2014. Working with veteran directors like M. Night Shyamalan, Edgar Wright, and George Miller at such a young age is nothing to scoff at. Already having proven herself as a versatile actress, Taylor-Joy boasts scene-stealing credits on both the silver and small screen. The Emmy-nominated star has lent her talents to Netflix's "The Queen's Gambit" and the British sensation "Peaky Blinders," among others.
While participating in Variety's "Actors on Actors" segment with Josh O'Connor, Taylor-Joy revealed her secret: her schedule is frantic. She recounted how there were minimal breaks between starring in "Emma," "Last Night in Soho," and "The Queen's Gambit." If Taylor-Joy's work ethic wasn't already enough to admire, fans of "The Menu" star will be surprised to know that she filmed some of her most memorable scenes of "Peaky Blinders" while working on another project entirely.
Anya Taylor-Joy shot her Peaky Blinders scenes in empty spaces
While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter to promote "The Menu," Anya Taylor-Joy opened up about her busy schedule, which included filming the final season of "Peaky Blinders" remotely. In the British crime drama, Taylor-Joy plays the conniving Gina Gray, the wife of Shelby off-spring Michael Gray (Finn Cole). The final season on the BBC phenomenon began to roll cameras in early 2021 (via Variety), around the same time David O. Russell was kicking off production for his star-studded "Amsterdam," per Deadline.
How did Taylor-Joy film both projects, which were taking place on opposite sides of the world? "I was shooting 'Amsterdam' [in Los Angeles], and it was actually quite amazing because my wonderful scene partner and friend, Finn Cole, was in England," the actress told The Hollywood Reporter, revealing that a portion of scenes involving the Gray couple weren't shot together. "It was just me acting to empty space and watching a scene that Finn had done and trying to do my reaction based off of that, which was a really interesting way of working." The final season of "Peaky Blinders" was warmly received, with Rotten Tomatoes awarding Season 6 a perfect 100% rating. While the BBC series walked away with a flurry of accolades, Taylor-Joy's other quarantine project, "Amsterdam," was largely panned by critics. As it stands, the film is a box office bomb.
But it looks like nothing can stop the young actress from keeping busy. Taylor-Joy, who recently wrapped up production on the "Mad Max" prequel "Furiosa," candidly told Vogue Australia that her frantic schedule takes care of her excess energy and allows her to keep acting interesting.