With writer-director Scott Frank’s The Queen’s Gambit now streaming on Netflix, I recently got to speak with Anya Taylor-Joy about making the fantastic limited series.

If you haven’t seen the trailers, The Queen’s Gambit is based on the novel by Watler Tevis and follows Beth Harmon (Taylor-Joy), who was abandoned to a Kentucky orphanage in the late 1950s. While there, she discovers an extraordinary talent for the game of chess, but also becomes addicted to the tranquilizers provided by the state as a sedative for the children. After getting adopted by Alma Wheatley (Marielle Heller), Beth attempts to battle both the struggles of her chemical dependency as well as the misogyny of the male-dominated world of competitive chess. Loaded with great acting, incredible production design, and beautiful cinematography, I loved this series and absolutely recommend checking it out. The Queen’s Gambit also stars Marielle Heller, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Moses Ingram, Harry Melling and Bill Camp.

During the fun interview, Anya Taylor-Joy talked about why she was so connected to her character, what it was like working with Scott Frank, how the series doesn’t have your typical villain, the challenges of learning the chess moves, and more. In addition, she talked about Robert Eggers’ The Northman, why she loves the band The Kinks, what TV series she’d like to guest star on, and her first movie crush.

Check out what she had to say below and further down the page is exactly what we talked about.

Anya Taylor-Joy:

  • From Edgar Wright: How does she feel about The Kinks as a band?
  • What TV series would she like to guest star on?
  • What movie has she seen the most?
  • What’s the last thing she was obsessed with?
  • What was her first movie or TV show crush?
  • Has she seen any TV series all the way through more than once?
  • Her connected to the character she played in The Queen’s Gambit.
  • Can she leave the character she’s playing on set or do they come home with her?
  • Her experience with reshoots.
  • How the series doesn’t have a typical villain.
  • How the action sequences are the chess matches.
  • How she learned the matches.
  • What surprised her about working with Scott Frank?
  • What can she say about Robert Eggers’ The Northman?

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