The actress Anya Taylor-Joy talked about why she wants her characters to show anger on screen, not just tears.
In an interview for GQ, Anya, who has been nominated for an Emmy, explained how she has pushed to change scenes where her character was supposed to cry, making them show anger instead.
“I’ve become known for fighting to show women being angry. I’m not promoting violence, but I want people to see women as real people,” she said. “Our reactions are not always neat or tidy.”
Anya first pushed for this in her debut film, The Witch. Her character was supposed to cry when she was dragged away and accused of being evil. But Anya couldn’t cry and thought her character should be angry instead. She told the director, Robert Eggers, “She’s angry; she’s been blamed for nothing. We need to stop with the crying.”
The director agreed, and Anya learned to speak up for herself on set.
Anya did the same in the 2022 movie, The Menu. Her character was supposed to shed a single tear when she learned her date had brought her to a dangerous restaurant. But Anya asked, “What planet are we living on?” and said her character would be so angry she’d try to attack him. The director and her co-star agreed to the change.
In The Northman, another movie directed by Eggers, Anya’s character stops a man from touching her by slapping him with her hand covered in menstrual blood. This was Anya’s idea and made a strong impact.
In her latest project, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Anya fought hard for her character to have a scream in the movie. She said it took three months to convince the director.
Even though Anya knows directors have the final say, she appreciates that they have accepted her ideas. For instance, George Miller, the director of Furiosa, admitted he was glad she insisted on the scream.
Anya said, “I’ve never been an angry person, but I’m glad Furiosa allowed me to get angry for myself.”