Anya Taylor-Joy says relationship with husband enables her to ‘take more risks’
By Lauren Del Fabbro, Press Association Entertainment Reporter
Hollywood star Anya Taylor-Joy has said her relationship with her husband, musician Malcolm McRae, has enabled her to “take more risks”.
The 30-year-old actress shot to fame after starring in hit Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit and has since starred in a number of films including Emma and the Dune franchise.
Taylor-Joy married the musician in April 2022 and has opened up about how their relationship has given her a greater sense of security which she did not expect.
Speaking to Elle UK, she said: “I don’t want to sound smug, but I love him so much.
“To have a best friend who goes through life with you – it has given me a sense of security that I didn’t really ever dream about.
“It wasn’t something that was on my list. Now that I have it, I just feel emboldened to take more risks because I know I’ve got something really nutritive and solid and healthy and so f****** fun. I laugh, like, 90% of the time.”
Taylor-Joy will reprise her role as Alia Atreides in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune Part III – the filmmaker’s third and final film in the franchise.
It involved filming parts of the movie in the desert – something which Taylor-Joy embraced fully.
She said: “There’s a fire that starts up in me when I realise something is going to be tough.
“I love to be in situations where others would be miserable and make them places full of joy. Like Dune, shooting in the desert. Yes, it’s hot. Who cares? This is wild!”
The actress previously opened up about her mental health including having panic attacks on set.
She added: “Having been in some really dark places, I now have such an appreciation for it all. What a privilege it is to be exhausted by the thing that you love!”
The actress is now producing her first series, Apple TV’s Lucky, and also stars in it as a con artist that goes on the run when a heist does not go as planned.
She said: “I’ve always been interested in not just why something works, but how it works.
“I felt like I’d been doing it [producing] for a while. It just hadn’t been part of my job title.”
The full interview can be read in the September issue of Elle UK which goes on sale from August 6th.
