Like the characters in The New Mutants, a new superhero film in which they star, Anya Taylor-Joy and Maisie Williams who head their line-up have little to do, at least initially, except for some aspects: they are both considered it girls by coined. Recently, they have legions of followers who leave their mark on social networks and they are both aware that “entering a film franchise like this, within the Marvel universe, gives you a great exposure that is always beneficial and that, unlike the series, it is not an annual obligation, but there can be interruptions of two or three years between films, so it is not so regulated, “according to Williams. “And also, says Taylor – Joy, for me, who has worked a lot in independent films where the most important thing is the character, this is a completely atypical superhero movie. I’ve seen some in which the characters don’t tell me anything. The action is incredible and everything is spectacular, but I don’t get to know who those guys really are. That is why I was afraid to make a film of this type. But, in addition to being the superhero genre’s first foray into the realm of horror, the characters are so well drawn that they seem straight out of real life. They have all had a dark past and are far from perfect. So why not focus on those blemishes since that’s what makes them interesting?”

What there is no doubt is that they are two of the most influential twenty-somethings in cinema and fashion, who, in addition, are enjoying that sweet moment that means having acquired two comic icons such as the always in conflict Poison Wolf and the teleporter witch Magik.
Anya Taylor – Joy’s life, by comparison, has been a walk. At the age of 24, he has not suffered any more trauma than having to leave Argentina, where he lived his childhood although he was born in Miami, because his parents, he a banker and she an interior designer, decided that way “because the situation there was turning so terrible that they wanted their children to grow up in an environment without fear. I was eight years old, I only spoke Spanish and I didn’t understand anything about London, which was where we settled and which seemed huge and dizzying to me and where I hardly saw nature. I spent the day wondering what the hell was going on. ”

What happened is that a few years later, her 1.73 height and her long natural blonde hair, although she is fond of changing her color often, procured her a place as a model for the Storm agency; She was booked on the doorstep of popular London department store Harro’s by owner Sarah Doukas, who, the actress says, often gave her a hard time. “As I left Harrod’s I noticed a car following me and I was scared. I thought he was a stalker. ” The next day she had already signed a contract that, in addition to making her a true expert in the art of knowing how to dress, something that cheered her on for her elegance and originality through the networks, after making herself known through advertising campaigns, allowed her enter the world of interpretation comfortably.

“Actually, I wanted to do ballet and I danced for a while but now I only remember that first vocation when I realize how useful it has been later. It helped me a lot when it came to learning to play a fighter like Illyana / Magic, my character in The New Mutants. They asked me to do all the action scenes that I could. So, after practicing for a bit, I found myself tied up with cables, in a spectacular outfit and wielding a giant sword. I have loved the action and I love the stunts. But it’s interesting what happens to you when they scream action and you’re into character. Anya is afraid of heights; but Illyana doesn’t care. When I’m up there being her I have to be focused to make it come true in my mind and forget about all the paraphernalia that surrounds me ”.

Taylor-Joy, lighter in luggage than her companion Williams since she was not tied to the discipline of a long-distance television series, except in the case of the recent and romantic Emma, ​​who has dressed her in period with special success, has made its own niche in some suspenseful successes such as the last two chapters of the film saga M. Night Shyamalan’s protégé, Split and Glass, with exceptional critics such as those that endorsed his debut in the independent horror film The Witch , presented at Sundance and thanks to which she already has her first two trophies on the shelf: the Gotham award and the Empire for the breakthrough actress. He also featured in the Spanish film The Secret of The Marrowbone and participated in a season of the prestigious Peaky Blinders.

“I know that I have been very lucky, although some people think that I have a tendency to forget my achievements as soon as I achieve them but, even if it is a cliché, I feel very happy to be able to work on what I love. And luck has had to do with that, as much as I trust my instincts and what I can do. The role of Illyana, for example, appeared in my life in a very curious and very Hollywood way. My movie, The Witch, had been released, but the rest hadn’t hit theaters yet so I was interviewing a lot of people to find work. I knew I was going to have lunch with director Josh Boone and before I sat down he said, ‘I’m preparing this movie, which will be part of the X-Men franchise and there is a character who is for you. I’m not auditioning you, I just want to know if you want to. ‘ And my answer was: “But they haven’t even brought us the water!” And I ran out to the comic book store, after saying yes. Well, after eating. That is called luck ”.

“There is a wonderful scene that we all did together where we come together to really fight against the outside forces,” adds Taylor-Joy. “At that moment, I thought how our realities reflect what is happening in history because we were five boys who did not know each other, who are involved in a situation and have no other way out than to function as a team because otherwise everything will crumble. It was exciting to see that we are all very different and have many layers, but we function as one, despite the differences. And that’s great”

The near future for her is a heads-up with Nicole Kidman in The Northman, set in Viking times or The Sea Change, the debut feature by actress Kristin Scott Thomas, as director, “which is something I’ll try to do in at some point in my career, without a doubt ”, as she points out.

In that, in considering themselves feminists, both are more than in agreement, although also with nuances. “This movie, in my opinion, shows incredibly powerful women, but on opposite ends of the spectrum,” Anya concludes. “My character is a woman of action. She prefers to act and the world has made her very tough. And that is in real life. On the contrary, other female characters are much more empathetic. I interpret that there are many ways of approaching feminine power, from different perspectives, but with the same objective ”.

Translated by Adoring Anya, do not take without permission.