Anya Taylor-Joy's Response To The Northman's Punishing Shoot Makes Us Love Her Even More
Anya Taylor-Joy became a household name in 2020 when she starred in the Netflix miniseries "The Queen's Gambit," in which she portrayed a prodigy chess player in the 1950s and '60s. The performance earned her a Primetime Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe win. Leading up to "The Queen's Gambit," Taylor-Joy had appeared in films such as 2015's "The Witch," 2017's "Thoroughbreds" and 2020's "Emma." Next, she'll reprise her role for the last season of "Peaky Blinders," followed by several in-the-works projects, including the currently-untitled next film by David O'Russell and the "Mad Max: Fury Road" prequel "Furiosa," in which she is playing the lead role.
Another upcoming project of Taylor-Joy's is "The Northman," the epic historical film set in 10th century Iceland which will reunite her with "The Witch" director Robert Eggers. The film follows a Viking prince named Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård) who sets out to avenge the death of his father, King Aurvandill (Ethan Hawke), and save his kidnapped mother, Queen Gudrún (Nicole Kidman).
If you've seen the harrowing trailer, then you may have suspected that the filming of "The Northman," which is set to hit theaters on April 22, was likely not the easiest experience for the actors involved. In fact, Taylor-Joy has confirmed this in a recent interview with Vogue. Vogue writer Olivia Marks even writes that Taylor-Joy's role in the film sees her "shackled, enslaved, soaking wet and wearing little more than rags."
But Taylor-Joy's response to the grueling conditions will only make you love her even more.
Taylor-Joy was 'ecstatically' happy while filming The Northman, despite the brutal conditions
While speaking to Vogue about "The Northman," Anya Taylor-Joy explained that despite the cold, wet, and overall difficult conditions she experienced while making the movie, she was "ecstatically" happy during the shoot. The actor said she hopes the miserable condition of her character shines through on the film because "I was [cold] and if it didn't look freezing I would have been pissed."
It seems that despite the tough conditions, Taylor-Joy has a deep appreciation for the grueling process. While speaking about scenes that were filmed in water, Taylor-Joy said, "I looked insane. So infuriatingly joyful. The stunt guys would say, 'Can we get out of the water now?' And I was like, 'This is amazing. Nature! We're outside! We get to make art.'"
Of course, Taylor-Joy also likely knew what to expect when she signed on for another Robert Eggers-directed historical film. During an interview with DuJour from around the time "The Witch" was released, Taylor-Joy described the cast as "so in love with each other," but said making the movie itself "was difficult." She elaborated by saying, "but as far as the actual reality of shooting the movie—we willed this thing into existence. I'm talking animals, children, the dogs, all sinking into the muddy ground; no WiFi, no cell service."
It seems, though, that Taylor-Joy is ready, willing, and eager to give her all to her craft. We can't wait to see Taylor-Joy as Olga when "The Northman" premieres in theaters on April 22, 2022.