The Queen of Screams and Chess Loves Hook and Tears: Anya Taylor-Joy's Top 4 Films — From Children's Cinema to Bloody Drama

Today, the girl with eyes that seem to have stepped out of a Pre-Raphaelite painting turns 29. At not yet thirty, Anya Taylor-Joy has already become a star of the new Hollywood: The Witch, The Queen's Gambit, Furiosa, Split, The Menu — the list of her successes is longer than her lashes.

But on her birthday, it's not just about looking back at her roles as the queen of screams and chess, but also peeking into her heart — or rather, her Letterboxd list. There, she has four films that she loves. And, of course, they say much more about her than any lengthy, supposedly candid interview with a foreign glossy magazine ever could.

Hook (1991)

If Anya had her own Neverland, it would start with a VHS tape. This was the film she took with her on her first school trip — and since then, Hook has forever remained a symbol of childhood magic for her. Steven Spielberg might not love his creation, but in Taylor-Joy’s eyes, it’s the perfect movie about flying, dreams, and growing up. There’s something symbolic in this: just like Robin Williams' character, Anya also found herself in a world where fantasy becomes reality.

Almost Famous (2000)

This film is about music, but not in the direct sense. Anya says she feels it through its color and emotion — much like she chooses her roles. Cameron Crowe's film doesn't just tell the story of a young journalist among rock stars; it immerses you in the delicate, sleepy atmosphere of youth when everything feels bigger, more real, and important. Taylor-Joy often speaks in interviews about how important intuition is to her. Perhaps Almost Famous once taught her to listen to her inner rhythm, not just the lines in the script.

Interview with the Vampire (1994)

Gothic, blood, Tom Cruise with white curls, and little Kirsten Dunst — this film became something more for Anya than just an adaptation of Anne Rice's novel. She admits that after watching it, she wanted to act for real. No wonder: Interview with the Vampire is theatrical, almost operatic cinema, where the actors seem to perform behind masks but are completely sincere. This is how Anya works too: balancing expressiveness with vulnerability, she makes every role mesmerizing.

Forrest Gump (1994)

Many people are now skeptical about this film — it's too epic, too touching. But not Anya. She says simply and honestly:

"I miss films like this".

And that explains a lot: the actress is drawn to movies where emotions aren't afraid to be big, where the story spans an entire era, but remains personal. And truly — isn’t this the secret to her on-screen charm? She can play a queen, a witch, a femme fatale, but she always remains alive, human. Just like our beloved Forrest Gump.

Four films — four pieces of her soul. And if you want to understand why Anya Taylor-Joy has such captivating on-screen magnetism, just revisit these films. In them — she is, before fame, before chess, before The Witch by Eggers.