Anya Taylor-Joy Opens Up About Being Bullied In School Over Her Looks

Despite her immense success as an actress, Anya Taylor-Joy recently revealed that she wasn't always as popular and was once heavily bullied as a child. The actress reflected on her Argentine upbringing and shared that she was bullied for her looks and poor English and that it went on for years until she dropped out at 16 to pursue acting full-time.

Taylor-Joy spoke about her decision to leave school for acting, saying that it greatly terrified and worried her family. However, the actress quickly got into the industry, first as a model and then as an actress. She explained that acting was her escape from school because it was "so weird," and she never hung out with other kids.

Taylor-Joy has worked hard ever since, with leading roles in notable projects like the remake of Jane Austen's "Emma" and "The Queen's Gambit" in 2020. Later, she gushed about actress Sarah Jessica Parker and revealed that she once told Parker her onscreen relationship in "Sex and the City" inspired her.

Read on to find out more.

During a recent appearance on "The Drew Barrymore Show," Taylor-Joy reflected on her life growing up and praised her parents, especially her mom, for teaching her to appreciate people. She said, "You don't look at what they do for a job; it's just do you like that person's heart? And I really have to give a big shout out to my mom for that because it was really helpful."

Taylor-Joy continued, "You look at the inside of somebody; you don't look at class, you don't look at anything like that." The "Queen's Gambit" actress was raised in Argentina until she was six when her family moved to London. She's previously described her family as "nomadic, traveling gypsies, really."

Taylor-Joy revealed that at the time, she didn't know how to speak English properly, and in a previous interview, she'd also spoken about how she struggled to adapt to the move to London. She said, "Argentina is all green and I had horses and animals everywhere – all of a sudden I was in a big city and I didn't speak the language."

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During the interview, Taylor-Joy shared that she felt like she couldn't fit into life in London, especially the schools. She said, "I was too English to be Argentine, too Argentine to be English, too American to be anything. The kids just didn't understand me in any shape or form. I used to get locked in lockers."

The effect of the heavy bullying, according to Taylor-Joy, was that she spent hours "crying in the bathrooms" and that she never hung out with other kids. When she was 14, the actress moved to New York and then dropped out totally when she turned 16, all to focus fully on acting. Taylor-Joy said that the decision terrified and worried her family.

Luckily, she got a her break soon after venturing fully into acting when she was spotted and signed by Sarah Doukas. Doukas is the founder of the famous Storm model agency, and she's also credited with discovering and signing Kate Moss.

During a recent interview with Elle, Taylor-Joy revealed that acting was her escape from school, which was so weird. She said, "I needed to believe in a place where I could be valued and appreciated, and actually have something to contribute rather than constantly feeling like, What is wrong with me, and why do I not fit in?"

Taylor-Joy has worked hard since she debuted in Hollywood at 17, starring as the lead in Robert Eggers's "The Witch." She has since scored several other popular roles, like in "Peaky Blinders" and the movie remake of Jane Austen's "Emma." One of her most recent popular roles is in the Netflix series "The Queen's Gambit."

Later, in her interview with Barrymore, Taylor-Joy spoke about her admiration for actress Sarah Jessica Parker. Barrymore said, "Now, as a girl, I'm totally in love with you. I heard you like raves. You like Sex and the City. You're cool; you're fun. Age transcends. I just want to hang out with you and bring back dance parties. Is it true you went up to Sarah Jessica Parker, and you were like, "I am watching you and Big."'

Taylor-Joy responded by saying, "Yeah, it was a really bad moment for me just because I saw her and I ran up, and I was going through a really bad breakup, and I was like, 'Hey, I just had to tell you I've been watching you and Big and it's given me a lot of hope.'" At the time, the actress was in a relationship with Eoin Macken, which eventually ended in 2018.