Netflix has released a clip of Anya Taylor-Joy turning into Beth Harmon, the protagonist of the miniseries The Queen’s Gambit.
An adaptation of the novel of the same name by Walter Tevis, the series sees Taylor-Joy as the redheaded Beth, an orphan discovering a talent for chess. Determined to become a Grandmaster, Beth is on a steady path to international fame and recognition, but has some trouble adjusting to life outside the orphanage.
The series developed by Scott Frank and Allan Scott follows the protagonist from 8 to 22 years old as she embarks on a mission to play in Europe, while also battling loneliness and addiction.
Anya Taylor-Joy Turns Into A Redhead For ‘The Queen’s Gambit’
In the video released on November 2, the American-Argentinian-British actress Taylor-Joy is in the makeup and hair chair. Thanks to the work of hair and makeup artists Claudia Stolze and Daniel Parker, the platinum blonde actress turns into a wide-eyed redhead for the role. She wears a shorter wig and sports smoky eyes, highlighting her magnetic stare.
In The Queen’s Gambit, Taylor-Joy, known for her breakthrough on horror The Witch as well as for playing the titular role in Emma., stars alongside Harry Potter co-star Harry Melling and Love Actually protagonist, Thomas Brodie-Sangster. Both Melling and Brodie-Sangster portray chess champions and play several games opposite Taylor-Joy’s Beth.
The actress filmed a lot of chess scenes where she plays confidently, all the more impressive considering she had no previous experience with the game.
“I knew nothing, but I think that helped me a lot,” she said in an interview with Netflix Queue.
“Beth is discovering the world of chess, and I could bring that awe and magic to it as well.”
Anya Taylor-Joy Will Play Furiosa
2019 was a prolific year for Taylor-Joy. She juggled roles in Emma and Last Night in Soho at the same time that she was working on The Queen’s Gambit.
“I had a very intense year in 2019, where I knew I was going to be playing three different characters with one day off in between,” she also said.
She will next appear as the titular character in Furiosa, a spin-off of Mad Max: Fury Road. Taylor-Joy stars as a younger version of the character played by Charlize Theron in the 2015 movie.