Anya Taylor-Joy Turned Down Disney Role to Star in The Witch

Thanks to her award-winning turn in The Queen’s Gambit, actress Anya Taylor-Joy has absolutely become a household name. The actress has starred in everything from major blockbusters to bone-chilling indie fare — and as it turns out, one of her breakout roles almost didn’t happen due to an unexpected project. In a recent interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Taylor-Joy revealed that when she was originally offered a pilot on the Disney Channel on the same exact day she was offered the starring role in Robert Eggers’ The Witch. While Taylor-Joy does not reveal which Disney series she was offered, she does reveal the real reason why he turned down the role.

“I remember it was the same day I got asked to be in a Disney Channel pilot, and it was so exciting to be offered anything at all that I ran around the house like a loon,” Taylor-Joy explained. “But I just had this really good feeling about The Witch that made me willing to forego the Disney experience for the thing that felt unknown to me, the thing that felt sacred.”

“It gave me the cornerstones of the way I work now, which is essentially the idea that there is no hierarchy on set: you work hard, you stay on top of the shots and you don’t assume anyone else is going to do that for you,” Taylor-Joy said of working on The Witch. “Your title doesn’t stop at actor – you’re a creative on this film, and that’s how you need to approach it.”

What is Anya Taylor-Joy’s next movie?

In addition to the release of The Menu in the near future, Taylor-Joy is set to play the titular role in Mad Max: Furiosa, the highly-anticipated prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road. Production wrapped on the film earlier this fall, and it is set to be released in 2024.

“The first thing that went through my head when I found out I was going to do it was,’ I am so excited to work so hard,’ ” Taylor-Joy revealed in an interview with Happy, Sad, Confused in 2020. “The level of commitment that has been shown before me, I endeavor to match that, and that makes me really excited.”

“I fell in love with Furiosa, the way that Charlize presented her,” Taylor-Joy explained. “She did such an incredible job and it was so beautiful and I can’t even think about trying to step [into her shoes]. It has to be something different, because it just can’t be done.”