Northman Director On How Anya Taylor-Joy Has Changed Since First Film
The Northman director Robert Eggers shares his thoughts on how Anya Taylor-Joy has changed since their first film together. Eggers and Taylor-Joy first partnered on the director's feature film directorial debut, The Witch, a psychological horror-thriller that centered around a 1630s New England Puritan family who set up their home in some secluded woods following their banishment from a previous community. Anya played the lead, Thomasin, the eldest daughter of the family, to much praise from critics and fans alike.
Eggers and Taylor-Joy have reunited for The Northman, an action-packed epic adventure that follows Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård), a Viking warrior prince, on a quest for revenge against the murderer of his father. He is joined by Olga of the Birch Forest (Anya), a sorceress who is also on a dark journey for vengeance. Originally 18 years old on the set of The Witch, Taylor-Joy reconnected with Eggers for The Northman at the age of 24, expressing absolute delight at the opportunity to work with the director again.
In a recent interview with THR, Eggers shared his feelings about how Taylor-Joy has changed from working on The Witch to The Northman. Eggers said she was an excellent actor when they first worked together and continues to be in his upcoming film. Read what the director said below:
"She was great when she was 18, she’s great now. Both of us have gotten better at our craft. I think where she’s changed the most is just that her professionalism on set is an inspiration for everyone who works with her. I know that’s boring, but it is cool, especially when she’s wearing a potato sack barefoot in the mud with horizontal rain, and she’s got a good attitude. That’s helpful for everybody."
Taylor-Joy has previously shared her delight working on the grueling set of The Northman with Eggers, calling it a joyful experience while describing the harsh realities of filming in such extreme conditions. But she never complained as she cherished those moments during production, swimming in freezing cold water, bearing the icy winds, and gazing across the green vistas of Ireland, which she used as preparation for her upcoming role in the Furiosa spinoff of the Mad Max film franchise. Eggers obviously admired her professionalism and perseverance, which will no doubt come across on camera as it did in The Witch.
Although Taylor-Joy was 18 when she starred in The Witch, she had not done much acting prior to her lead in Eggers' first film. Yet, she excelled in her role as the Puritan daughter, a role that propelled her to stardom and allowed her to secure significant parts in other major film and television projects such as Emma, The Queen's Gambit, and Last Night in Soho. Anya will prove her worth once again with Eggers in his upcoming sword-and-mud epic The Northman, which will hit theaters on April 22.
Source: THR