If you don’t know the name Anya Taylor-Joy, you’ll likely hear it when the British-Argentine actress stars in the highly-anticipated action flick Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, a prequel to the 2015 blockbuster Mad Max: Fury Road.
In Furiosa, Taylor-Joy stars as a younger version of the title character, who was played by Charlize Theron (Monster) nearly a decade ago. Both movies are part of the post-apocalyptic film franchise that started in 1979.
Now, Taylor-Joy will get to cement her own legacy in the saga when the fifth installment hits theaters nationwide on May 24, 2024.
But this won’t be the first time Taylor-Joy will command the screen. If you’d like to get a comprehensive education on all things Anya Taylor-Joy, here are seven films and TV series we’d suggest you start with.
1
The Witch
Taylor-Joy’s career began with a bang when she starred in the 2015 A24 horror film The Witch. The film is about a 17th-century Puritan family whose lives are cursed by a witch living in the forest surrounding their farmhouse.
2
Thoroughbreds
In the 2017 black comedy Thoroughbreds, Taylor-Joy plays Lily, a popular prep school girl who rekindles a relationship with a former friend and then begins to plot a way to kill her stepfather.
3
Peaky Blinders
Taylor-Joy joined the main cast of the British period crime drama Peaky Blinders in season 5 where she played Gina Gray, a manipulative woman looking for a way she and her husband, Michael Gray (Finn Cole), can take over his family’s business.
4
Emma
We need to see more Latinas in costume period cinema. For an example of how incredible that would be, look no further than Taylor-Joy as the title character in the 2020 dramedy Emma, which is based on Jane Austen’s 1815 novel of the same name.
5
The Queen's Gambit
Taylor-Joy hit the pinnacle of her career (thus far) in 2020 when she starred as chess prodigy Beth Harmon, the lead role in The Queen’s Gambit, which broke all kinds of viewership records as a Netflix original series.
6
Last Night in Soho
In the 2021 psychological horror film Last Night in Soho, Taylor-Joy plays Sandie, an aspiring nightclub singer from 1960s London who is haunting the dreams – then nightmares – of a design student named Ellie (Thomasin McKenzie).
7
The Menu
Taylor-Joy serves up some tense moments in the 2022 black comedy, The Menu. In the film, she plays a young woman invited to a private dining experience where she butts heads with the authoritarian chef set on killing all his guests.