Anya Taylor-Joy Reveals She Was Harshly Bullied For Her Looks
All eyes turned to Anya Taylor-Joy after her skillful and impressive performance on The Queen’s Gambit. Her flawless beauty and seamless acting skills were finally noticed.
But this sought-after actress’s life was not always rays of sunshine and butterflies and one where she got what she wanted. She revealed this during her interview at The Drew Barrymore show.
The beautiful 26-year-old was promoting her movie, The Menu, with Ralph Fiennes, when she mentioned that she had always been criticized for her physical appearance when she was a child. She was slender, scrawny, and pale, and at 5 feet, 8 inches, she stood out of the crowd and, most of the time, in unpleasant ways.
Drew opened up the delicate discussion by mentioning to Anya that she learned that she was not a crowd favorite nor a social butterfly in school.
And Anya answered this by sharing what her parents taught her while growing up. The actress mentioned that she considered herself lucky with her parents. Despite being bullied for her physical looks, she found comfort, as her mother would always say that the inside of the person is more important.
Anya recalled how her mother would remind her that you don’t look at a person’s class, but you look deeper inside that person, and that’s what matters most.
The stunning Tiffany & Co ambassador further elaborated that you stop looking at a person’s job and what they do for a living because you need to focus and look at your fondness for that person’s heart. She also thanked her mother for the wisdom she imparted because it helped Anya survive the not-so-pleasant bullying phase of her life.
Recalling her interview last year with Elle, Anya shared that she ventured to act because she found school weird. She said she was constantly searching for a place where she would be appreciated and valued for her true self.
Anya also wanted to find that place where she could contribute something and not just repeatedly question herself and her sense of belonging.
The actress also shared with Drew how much she was star-struck by Sarah Jessica Parker. Drew gushed that since Anya likes Sex and the City and raves, she loves her. She complimented the budding celebrity on being relaxed and fun.
Drew told Anya that she would be happy to hang out with the younger woman and bring her to dance parties.
Anya giggled, recalling the experience because back then, she had just come from a bad breakup, so seeing her idol up close and having the chance to tell Sarah how much she adored her was like a lifeline for her. The short encounter gave the actress lots of hope.
Back then, Anya had been in a relationship for two years with Eoin Macken, and Sarah had been helpful and encouraging, telling her that they might still end up together.
Anya refuted and determinedly mentioned that she would move on from the breakup and be OK.
It looks like Sarah’s simple response “Okay” to her was all she needed, for indeed, she did move on and get happily married to Malcolm McRae in a simple but intimate courthouse wedding this summer.
