We caught up with The Queen's Gambit star, Anya Taylor-Joy, who told us she never played chess before taking on this new role as a chess prodigy.
The new Netflix four-part limited series stars Taylor-Joy, who plays Beth Harmon, a prodigious introvert who discovers and masters the game of chess in 1960s America.
Five Things You Need to Know:
- The story begins with the 9-year-old orphan learning to play chess. By age 16, she's competing for the U.S. The story is based on the book by Walter Tevis.
- Principal photography began in August 2019 in Cambridge, Ontario. Filming also took place in Berlin, including at the Kino International and the Berlin Zoo.
- The series received praise from the chess community for its portrayal of the game and players. Woman's Grandmaster, Jennifer Shahade said that the series "completely nailed the chess accuracy."
- Taylor-Joy, 24, is an American-born Argentine and British actress, who had her breakthrough with the period horror film The Witch, for which she earned several accolades. She gained further recognition and praise for her role as Casey Cooke in the psychological horror films Split and Glass, as well as in black comedy, Thoroughbreds and in the lcomedy-drama, Emma.
- Taylor-Joy was cast as the title character in the upcoming Mad Max: Fury Road spin-off, Furiosa.