When it comes to emerging names within the entertainment industry, the name of young actress Anya Taylor-Joy certainly enters the discussion. While she has had a career in acting since 16, she primarily starred in minor performances in television. It wasn’t until her first big break, starring in Robert Eggers' 2015 horror film The Witch, where she began to rise in popularity within the public.
Anya Taylor-Joy’s career continued to succeed after landing prominent roles in fellow horror films Split (2016) and Glass (2019), the fifth and sixth seasons of the crime television drama Peaky Blinders, and her most iconic role to date as Beth Harmon in Netflix’s accolade-winning period drama The Queen’s Gambit.
With many accolades to her name, including a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award, a BAFTA, and a Saturn Award, the highly regarded actress has proved to be one of the greatest modern, young performers time and time again. Her charismatic demeanor and charm have allowed her to work with prominent names, franchises, and intellectual properties within the industry. So, here’s a look at 10 of her best movies, ranked according to Rotten Tomatoes.
10 The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) - 58%
The news of another attempt by Nintendo to turn their most iconic gaming franchise into a feature film was met with excitement by many Mario and Nintendo fans back in 2018. While news about the project was mostly kept under wraps a few years after, the infamous cast reveals during a Nintendo Direct presentation in September 2021 led to the first official news of the star-studded voice acting cast of the movie titled The Super Mario Bros. Movie by Illumination. Among the many A-list names such as Chris Pratt as Mario and Jack Black as Bowser, Anya Taylor-Joy was revealed to voice the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, Princess Peach, in the film.
Despite the mixed reception from critics across many review aggregator websites, the film became a box office success and amassed $1.351 billion against a $100 million budget. The film became the highest-grossing film of 2023, the third-highest-grossing animated film, and had the biggest worldwide opening weekend for an animated feature.
9 Radioactive (2019) - 63%
Radioactive is one of Anya Taylor-Joy’s lesser-known roles, but the film is certainly not bad according to Rotten Tomatoes. The film, billed as a biographical drama, centers on the life of Marie Curie (Rosamund Pike) as she deals with her work with radioactive elements. In the film, Taylor-Joy portrays the equally intelligent Irene Curie, the eldest daughter of Marie and Pierre Curie.
The film was slated to release in theaters on March 20, 2020, but COVID-19 pandemic-related issues caused the theatrical release to stop. Despite this, the film managed to make $3.5 million through electronic sell-through platforms and video-on-demand sales starting in June of that same year.
8 Last Night in Soho (2021) - 76%
Edgar Wright’s psychological horror film Last Night in Soho was released in 2021, and unfortunately became a box office flop. Made on a $43 million budget, the film only managed to earn $23 million at the box office, despite universal acclaim by fans and positive remarks from critics.
The film follows Eloise Turner (Thomason McKenzie), a college student with hopes of becoming a fashion designer, who can mysteriously connect to the 1960s and encounters the life of aspiring singer Alexandra Collins (Anya Taylor-Joy). Taylor-Joy’s performance in this film is often regarded as one of her best, and her excellent portrayal as the aspiring singer is something one has to behold to see.
7 Split (2016) - 78%
Split is one of the many films in which Anya Taylor-Joy has collaborated with a prolific and prominent filmmaker. The M. Night Shyamalan directed, produced, and written film follows James McAvoy as Kevin Wendell, a man with dissociative identity disorder who kidnaps three teenage girls. Anya Taylor-Joy stars as Casey Cooke, one of the three teenagers kidnapped by one of Kevin’s personalities named “Dennis.” Casey’s character is described as having an abusive past that gets highlighted through her interactions with “Dennis.”
The commercial and critical hit became Taylor-Joy’s second most profitable film, and she later reprised her role in 2019’s Glass. Unfortunately, the film was not as critically successful as its predecessor and earned an abysmal 38% on Rotten Tomatoes.
6 Barry (2016) - 80%
Barry is a 2016 drama film directed by Vikram Gandhi and written by Adam Mansbach. The fictionalized biopic film follows the college years of a young Barack Obama (Devon Terrell), the future 44th President of the United States. Anya Taylor-Joy stars as Barack’s love interest in the film, Charlotte Baughman, who is a culmination and composite character of many of Barack’s former girlfriends while in college. Since the film’s release in 2016 on Netflix, it has gone relatively unknown. However, it is one of the streaming’s services’ hidden gems.
5 Emma (2020) - 86%
Emma is a 2020 period drama and romantic comedy that is adapted from Jane Austen’s 1815 novel of the same name. The novel, set in the fictionalized village of Jighbury and its surrounding estates, follows the relationships formed between the families of the various communities.
In the 2020 film, which was director Autumn de Wilde’s first feature film, Anya Taylor-Joy stars as the titular character of Miss Emma Woodhouse. In the film, Emma is an independent and wealthy woman who lives with her father and enjoys becoming involved in her own romantic life and her fellow peers.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic hindering some of Emma’s theatrical releases, the film was loved by critics for its comedic charm and presence. The film went on to be nominated for many major awards, including a Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical nomination for Anya Taylor-Joy at the Golden Globes and Best Costume Design and Best Makeup and Hairstyling at the Academy Awards.
4 Thoroughbreds (2017) - 87%
Anya Taylor-Joy has starred in yet another directorial debut — this time in the 2017 black comedy Thoroughbreds by Cory Finley. Taylor-Joy plays Lily Reynolds, a high school student with animosity towards her stepfather Mark (played by Paul Sparks). She teams up with Olivia Coke’s character in the film, the emotionless and terrifying Amanda, who both plot to kill Mark with the assistance of the drug dealing Tim (Anton Yelchin).
Before the production of the film, Finley imagined the script as a stage play. However, the critical reception of the dark comedy film proved beneficial, with an 87% score on Rotten Tomatoes across 168 reviews. The critics applauded the film for its unique presence within the teen thriller genre and the cheeky screenplay by Finley.
3 The Menu (2022) - 88%
When it comes to recent horror hits, it is easy to include The Menu in the discussion. The 2022 Mark Mylod-directed film serves a helping platter of satire of the elites in this food-influenced film. Anya Taylor-Joy stars as the film’s main protagonist, Margot, who gets invited to attend an exclusive, fancy restaurant on an island run by celebrity chef, Chef Slowik (Ralph Fiennes). Throughout the course of the film, Margot’s perceptions of the elusive dinner transform as she (and the viewers) learn of the true horrors that await the patrons and cooks at the restaurant.
The Menu offered a unique take on satires that tackled the beliefs of the elite by blending food and horror into a rich, dark comedy. For those that have yet to see the sleeper horror hit of 2022, be wary, as the film is full of mind-boggling moments. However, with a stacked cast full of great performances, including one by Anya Taylor-Joy herself, The Menu is sure to excite the tiniest horror fan.
2 The Northman (2022) - 90%
Robert Eggers and Anya Taylor-Joy reunited in 2022 with the release of The Northman. The film is an epic historical action thriller full of Norse mythology influenced that follows the Viking Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård), a prince who embarks on a mission to avenge the death of his father. In the film, Anya Taylor-Joy also plays Olga of the Birch Forest, a Slavic sorceress who aids Amleth on his journey.
The film was a box office failure, failing to break even on its $70 to $90 million budget against $69.6 million at the box office. However, The Northman did receive wide acclaim from critics who enjoyed the Norse-inspired story, cinematography and performances. Audiences soon came around to the film after its release on digital platforms in the spring of 2022, becoming a successful video-on-demand release.
1 The Witch (2015) - 90%
Before joining Robert Eggers on his third project, Anya Taylor-Joy starred as Thomasin in both of their feature film debuts, The Witch, in 2015. The film follows Thomasin, a member of a Puritan family in 1630s New England, who stumbles upon supernatural forces within the woods.
The A24 distributed film became a box office hit, earning $40 million with a small budget of $4 million, and was adored by critics and conversely polarized fans and viewers. The film fueled the future success of Robert Eggers, who went on to direct the Academy Award-nominated The Lighthouse in 2019, and Taylor-Joy, who has become a bona fide movie star.