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Surprising facts about ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ star Anya Taylor-Joy every fan might want to know

If you are a true fan or merely curious, this article is for you!


Shirley Gomez
Senior Writer
MARCH 1, 2021 3:26 PM EST

At this point, you might have heard of or seen Anya Taylor-Joy everywhere! The actress is taking the world by storm, and every day we are learning new facts about the 24-year-old Florida native.

If you are a true fan or merely curious, this article is for you! Find below surprising facts about “The Queen’s Gambit” star Anya Taylor-Joy.

She has not one, but triple citizenship

Anya Taylor Joy in New York   February 17, 2020© GettyImages
Anya Taylor Joy

Although Taylor-Joy was born in Miami, Florida, she spent part of her childhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina. At the age of six, she moved with her family to London. “When I was younger, I didn’t really feel like I fit in anywhere. I was too English to be Argentine, too Argentine to be English, too American to be anything,” the actress told London’s Evening Standard in 2017.

Unfortunately, she was bullied at school in London

Autumn de Wilde and Anya Taylor Joy© GettyImages
Actress Anya Taylor Joy poses for a portrait at the Eliot Hotel in Boston on Feb. 26, 2020.

The star also told London’s Evening Standard that “the kids just didn’t understand me in any shape or form.” According to Taylor-Joy, kids used to compare her to a fish. “My eyes were really far apart — that’s a thing,” she said. “I used to get locked in lockers,” she added, “you know, barred from classrooms, not invited to things. It wasn’t pleasant.”

Spanish is her first language

"Emma" Press Conference© GettyImages
Anya Taylor Joy at the “Emma” Press Conference at the Four Seasons Hotel.

According to the BBC, Taylor-Joy said during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show; she only spoke in Spanish while in London because she wanted to return to Buenos Aires.

She is a model

"Glass" UK Premiere   Red Carpet Arrivals© GettyImages
Anya Taylor Joy attends the UK Premiere of “Glass”

Before becoming an actress, Taylor-Joy was discovered by the same scout who turned Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne into top models.

She is also a ballerina

Celebrity Sightings In New York City   February 17, 2020© GettyImages
Actress Anya Taylor Joy is seen outside Good Morning America.

“My training as a dancer actually really helped me because I saw it as like dance choreography for your fingers, and I’m good at remembering steps,” she told Collider.

She actually relates to her The Queen’s Gambit role

The Queen and The Crown: A Virtual Exhibition of Costumes from "The Queen’s Gambit" and "The Crown"'© Hola
The Queen’s Gambit

“I didn’t realize until I met her that she was a voice I’d had in my head for as long as I remember,” Taylor-Joy told The Guardian. ”I’m goofier and lighter-hearted than Beth – but we have a lot of the same struggles, and at our core, we’re pretty similar. I was heartbroken when I had to stop playing her. I’m just glad I got to spend seven hours with her. If it had been a two-hour movie, I would’ve had to be dragged out kicking and screaming.”