“I am promoting women being seen as people”— Anya Taylor-Joy recalls asking directors to let her characters express rage on screen

Anya Taylor-Joy recently gave an interview to the British GQ where she opened up about how she fought with the directors for her characters as she wanted them to express rage on screen. During the interview, she opened up about the script demanding the character to cry, but Anya Taylor-Joy wanted them to portray different emotions. She said:

“I’ve developed a bit of a reputation for fighting for feminine rage, which is a strange thing, because I’m not promoting violence – but I am promoting women being seen as people. We have reactions that are not always dainty or un-messy.”

During the interview with British GQ, she opened up about how her character in the movie, The Witch was meant to cry in the scene where she was accused of being evil. In the scene, she was dragged through her family’s farm. Explaining the whole scenario, Anya Taylor-Joy stated:

“Eventually I said, ‘She’s angry; she’s f*cking pissed. She’s been blamed time and time again, and she’s not doing anything. We have to stop with the crying.”

She later stated that after she put forth her suggestion, the director approved, and Anya Taylor-Joy was able to express the character's rage onscreen, rather than crying. Anya had also suggested similar changes to the directors of The Menu and The Northman.

Having started her career with The Witch, as she portrayed the role of Thomasin, Anya was later seen in many movies like Split, Glass, Emma, Amsterdam, and Last Night in Soho.

---

“What planet are we living on?”— Anya Taylor-Joy speaks up on suggesting the director to change the expression of her character

Anya Taylor-Joy recently opened up to British GQ and stated that she wishes that women in films are portrayed as people, as she suggested many of her directors to let her portray “rage” instead of the character being emotional in some scenes.

As she spoke up about her role in The Witch, she also elaborated that she requested the director of The Menu to change how the character reacted when she figured out her date's true intentions at their date.

She stated that after the director told her how she had to cry during the scene in the movie, Anya asked the director if she could change the scene a bit, as she did not find crying appropriate for the scene. Speaking about the same to British GQ, she said:

“What planet are we living on? I was like, ‘Let me explain to you: I am going to leap across the table and try and literally kill him with my bare hands.’”

However, she stated that the director was supportive of her decision. She also shared that she had made a similar request to the director of The Northman. Anya later concluded the interview by clearing that she has “never been an angry person. She said:

“For all my championing of female rage, I’ve never been an angry person. For a long time the only time I ever got angry was on other people’s behalfs. I’ve always internalized this thing of ‘I’ve done something wrong. If you treat me badly, it’s because I am the problem.’”

Anya Taylor-Joy is currently busy promoting her film, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga which has already made its premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, and has released globally on May 23, 2024. In the movie, she plays the role of Furiosa. Furthermore, the actress will also be seen in The George, a romantic action film, which will be released on Apple TV+.