The Queen's Gambit's Anya Taylor-Joy Says Her First Movie Crush Was Peter Pan

Anya Taylor-Joy's first film crush was the animated version of Peter Pan.

The 24-year-old star admitted she fell for the titular character in Disney's 1953 adaptation of J M Barrie's play about the boy who wouldn't grow up and his adventures in Never Land, and she even compared his hairstyle to her character Beth Harmon in Netflix's The Queen's Gambit.

Asked about her first movie or television crush, she told Collider: "The cartoon version of Peter Pan — who actually has Beth's hair.

"I hadn't thought about that, but they have the same hair colour and cut... I loved him. Still do."

The mini-series follows the life of an orphan chess prodigy from the age of eight to 22 as she strives to become the world's greatest player, while struggling with emotional issues and addiction.

Anya threw herself into the role, and had to change her approach to work after previously being able to separate herself from a character.

She explained: "I think prior to this experience, I was semi-saved because the way that I've worked has not been 'normal'.

"I've made a movie, jumped into another movie, jumped into another movie, jumped into another movie — so I've had to release the character in order to be able to embody the new one.

"So it gets ripped away from me in a way. But for Beth, I knew, 2019 — for the first time ever in my life, I knew I was gonna make 'Emma', I was gonna have a day off, I was gonna make 'Last Night In Soho', and have a day off, and then play Beth.

"I felt Beth so intensely immediately that I was like, okay, year's an exercise in going, 'Wait your turn lady. I will come and play you and pick up whatever it is you have to go through, but I have to be these other people first.' "

She admitted the series was an emotional experience, which left her in tears as she said farewell to the character by the end of filming.

She said: "The second I stepped on set, I was like 'Okay, there's no separation here'. I just have to show up and basically breath and be alive because I can feel this person so intensely.

"By the end of it, I cried my eyes out but I was also ready, if that makes sense." — BANG

Photo: Netflix