Anya Taylor-Joy: from The Queen's Gambit to Super Mario Bros.

The Golden Globe-winning actress hasn't stopped working since she discovered her passion for acting at 16 years old. Anya Taylor-Joy has consolidated her career in Hollywood thanks to her versatility to play very diverse characters.

Anya Taylor-Joy's popularity grew after an unexpected pandemic success: 'The Queen's Gambit.' A great number of people followed the limited series about a chess talent with excitement.

The series about an extraordinary female champion in the 1960s showed that the young actress (born in 1996) could easily carry the weight of a story. Not only that, but she also knew how to shine beyond a big production.

Image: 'The Queen's Gambit' / Netflix

However, Anya Taylor-Joy was not a newcomer to cinema or television. The actress has demonstrated her talent for years. Here are some of the projects from which you may remember her face.

In 2015, at the age of 19, she got her big break in the movie 'The Witch'. The actress played Thomasin, a young woman tormented by her father who thought she was a witch. In a role to show off her talent, Anya Taylor-Joy made her mark in the film industry.

Image: still from 'The Witch' / A24, Universal

It could have gone differently. The actress turned down a Disney Channel series because she accepted the role in Robert Eggers' debut film 'The Witch.' It was a gamble that paid off.

In 2015, she participated in several episodes of the series 'Atlantis'. The next year, at the age of 20, Anya Taylor-Joy managed to demonstrate her versatility with several completely different roles. They included a threatening humanoid in 'Morgan' and a young university student in 'Barry,' the biopic of a young Barack Obama.

Most memorable of all was her role as the girl Casey Cooke who'd been kidnapped by James McAvoy in the film 'Split,' directed by M. Night Shyamalan.

Image: 'Split' / Universal

Interestingly, in 2016 she also signed the film that, if everything had gone as it should, would have taken her to the top of Hollywood and boosted her bank account. However, 'The New Mutants' pleased hardly anyone in the Hollywood industry. From the big release expected in 2016, it moved on to an almost silent release in 2020.

Image: 'The New Mutants' / 20th-Century, Disney studios

Yet, Anya Taylor-Joy went on her way to glory in 2017 with the films 'Marrowbone' and 'Thoroughbreds.' This last movie was especially relevant because it was Anton Yelchin's last work before he died in a car accident. Later, Anya would appear in the documentary about Anton Yelchin called 'Love, Antosha.'

Image: 'Thoroughbreds' / Focus Features

Also remembered from 2017 is Anya Taylor-Joy's role in the acclaimed mini-series 'The Miniaturist.' With only two episodes and directed by the Spaniard Guillem Morales, the young actress impressed reviewers with her role as Petronella Brandt.

Image: 'The Miniaturist' / BBC, PBS

The year 2019 began with a wonderful project: she gave life to Brea, the protagonist of 'The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance'. Even though her work was highly applauded, the series got canceled after its first season.

At the same time, the actress joined the top series 'Peaky Blinders.' She did it as Gina Grey, the wife of Michael Shelby (Finn Cole). Anya Taylor-Joy stayed in the series until it ended in 2022.

Image: 'Peaky Blinders' / BBC, Netflix

Meanwhile, in cinema, her character of Casey Cooke was back in 'Glass' (2019), the film that completed M. Night Shyamalan's superhero trilogy.

With 2020 and her role as chess champion Beth Harmon, Anya Taylor-Joy reached many living rooms across the world. 'The Queen's Gambit' was such a success that the sales of chess games in the US catapulted to new records. Critics consider the actress and the series as highlights in a complicated year.

Image: 'The Queen's Gambit' / Netflix

Her work in the Netflix series was so important that the actress even received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance.

Also in 2020, the actress appeared in 'Emma', where she brought to life the protagonist of Jane Austen's famous novel. That same year, Taylor-Joy also participated in another book adaptation: 'Here Are the Young Men,' based on Rob Doyle's novel. In this film, she worked with Finn Cole again.

Image: 'Emma' / Focus, Universal

In 2021, Anya Taylor-Joy starred in the film 'Last Night in Soho,' directed by Edgar Wright. The movie, which also featured Thomasin McKenzie and Matt Smith, was nominated for two BAFTA awards.

Image: 'Last Night in Soho' / Focus, Universal

Anya Taylor-Joy's calendar only became busier as time went by. In 2022, the actress starred in three famous movies: 'The Northman' opposite Alexander Skarsgard and Nicole Kidman; 'The Menu' with Ralph Fiennes; and 'Amsterdam' where she plays the wife of Rami Malek's character.

To prove her versatility, Anya Taylor-Joy took on an entirely different project in 2023. She's the voice of the sweet and confident Peach in the video game adaptation of Super Mario Bros.

Anya Taylor-Joy's rise into the Hollywood A-List is confirmed by the fact that she will take over the role of Imperator Furious from Charlize Theron in the prequel to 'Mad Max: Fury Road.' The title of the movie will be 'Furiosa'. No one doubts that the young actress can live up to her predecessor, who nearly won an Oscar for the role.