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Anya Taylor-Joy on Acting in Horror Movies and Sleeping with Obama | Screen Tests | W Magazine
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In this Screen Tests interview, actress Anya Taylor-Joy talks about her breakout role in 'The Witch' and her upcoming starring role in M. Night Shyamalan's 'Split' but reveals she's a scaredy-cat. Here, she shares her biggest fear (revolving doors), the friends she's made with her movie characters, and her first-ever sex scene with a fictionalized Barack Obama on the eve of her 20th birthday.
Even though she claims not to be a horror movie geek, Anya Taylor-Joy, at all of 20, is quickly become the genre's leading heroine. The latest indie star to emerge out of Sundance in her critically adored horror film The Witch in 2015, which became a surprise hit last year, the young Argentine-British model-turned-actress has gone on to star in the underrated sci-fi horror film Morgan as well as M. Night Shyamalan's latest fright, Split, in which Taylor-Joy's actor falls prey to a terrifying schizophrenic. (In between, she also managed to feature in the Barack Obama biopic Barry, as his collegiate girlfriend.) Here, she reveals her strangest fears, and why making horror movies is kind of therapy—even if she is a "scaredy cat."
So how did Split come to you?
Well, actually, M. Night Shyamalan actually offered me the role on the phone, which was crazy. I was pacing up and down, and I was kind of freaking out that he was talking to me on the phone, anyway. And then he just offered it to me. Just stopped completely dead in my tracks and started hyperventilating. I was like, "Yes, I wanna make this movie with you," and then I started panicking because I realized that I would be playing a kidnapped girl with an actor who at the time was a method actor. I was like, "Ooh, three months of this might be a little bit tricky." But [James McAvoy] ended up doing the part, and we had a really, really great time on set.
Did you find yourself confused about who he was going to be during different scenes? You do a wonderful job of seeming both confounded and trying to navigate it at the same time.
Yeah. I mean, my favorite thing about Casey is that she really believes in all of his personalities, and she treats each of them differently. For me, just being in the room, being able to watch James do all of the characters, it was an absolute pleasure. It's like watching a one-man show every day. I definitely have favorites in the personalities that I enjoyed spending time with more.
Who were they?
Hedwig. I loved him. He's so sweet. They have a really interesting relationship, Casey and Hedwig. And then Miss Patricia—even though she's terrifying she was really, really interesting to play with. That's the incredible thing about the movie, it's kind of like acting with a whole bunch of different people.
Have you ever felt schizophrenic?
I don't wanna say schizophrenic, just in terms of the mental health disorder. But I definitely lose who I am a lot of the time in going from movie to movie and character to character, because they are so real for me. Sometimes I'll feel like little traits of one character coming through that are definitely not mine, and that can creep me out a little bit. All of a sudden, I'll do something, and I'm just like, "That was not me." But it's also kind of cool, because you end up with all of these friends that you know very intimately, you know?
What (movies) have you watched again and again and again?
Brooklyn. I loved Brooklyn. Um, what else? Love & Mercy, I watched that movie so many times. Now A Bigger Splash is on British Airways, so I watched that a couple of times. The performances are just astonishing.
Read more here: www.wmagazine.com/story/scream-queen-anya-taylor-joy-is-terrified-of-condensation
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Anya Taylor-Joy on Acting in Horror Movies and Sleeping with Obama | Screen Tests | W Magazine
Even though she claims not to be a horror movie geek, Anya Taylor-Joy, at all of 20, is quickly become the genre's leading heroine. The latest indie star to emerge out of Sundance in her critically adored horror film The Witch in 2015, which became a surprise hit last year, the young Argentine-British model-turned-actress has gone on to star in the underrated sci-fi horror film Morgan as well as M. Night Shyamalan's latest fright, Split, in which Taylor-Joy's actor falls prey to a terrifying schizophrenic. (In between, she also managed to feature in the Barack Obama biopic Barry, as his collegiate girlfriend.) Here, she reveals her strangest fears, and why making horror movies is kind of therapy—even if she is a "scaredy cat."
So how did Split come to you?
Well, actually, M. Night Shyamalan actually offered me the role on the phone, which was crazy. I was pacing up and down, and I was kind of freaking out that he was talking to me on the phone, anyway. And then he just offered it to me. Just stopped completely dead in my tracks and started hyperventilating. I was like, "Yes, I wanna make this movie with you," and then I started panicking because I realized that I would be playing a kidnapped girl with an actor who at the time was a method actor. I was like, "Ooh, three months of this might be a little bit tricky." But [James McAvoy] ended up doing the part, and we had a really, really great time on set.
Did you find yourself confused about who he was going to be during different scenes? You do a wonderful job of seeming both confounded and trying to navigate it at the same time.
Yeah. I mean, my favorite thing about Casey is that she really believes in all of his personalities, and she treats each of them differently. For me, just being in the room, being able to watch James do all of the characters, it was an absolute pleasure. It's like watching a one-man show every day. I definitely have favorites in the personalities that I enjoyed spending time with more.
Who were they?
Hedwig. I loved him. He's so sweet. They have a really interesting relationship, Casey and Hedwig. And then Miss Patricia—even though she's terrifying she was really, really interesting to play with. That's the incredible thing about the movie, it's kind of like acting with a whole bunch of different people.
Have you ever felt schizophrenic?
I don't wanna say schizophrenic, just in terms of the mental health disorder. But I definitely lose who I am a lot of the time in going from movie to movie and character to character, because they are so real for me. Sometimes I'll feel like little traits of one character coming through that are definitely not mine, and that can creep me out a little bit. All of a sudden, I'll do something, and I'm just like, "That was not me." But it's also kind of cool, because you end up with all of these friends that you know very intimately, you know?
What (movies) have you watched again and again and again?
Brooklyn. I loved Brooklyn. Um, what else? Love & Mercy, I watched that movie so many times. Now A Bigger Splash is on British Airways, so I watched that a couple of times. The performances are just astonishing.
Read more here: www.wmagazine.com/story/scream-queen-anya-taylor-joy-is-terrified-of-condensation
Still haven’t subscribed to W on YouTube? ►► bit.ly/wyoutubesub
ABOUT W
The Who, What, Where, When, and Why in the world of fashion and style. W provides the ultimate insider experience with an original, provocative approach to art, culture, videos, travel, fashion, and beauty.
Anya Taylor-Joy on Acting in Horror Movies and Sleeping with Obama | Screen Tests | W Magazine