Anya Taylor-Joy reveals how she confronted paparazzi: ‘I am not prey’

‘I went home and cried, but then I figured it out’

Anya Taylor-Joy at a Dior fashion show in Athens, Greece, on 17 June 2021 (ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Anya Taylor-Joy has revealed how she decided to manage her relationship with the paparazzi after an experience that left her in tears.

The actor spoke to Tatler ahead of the release of Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho.

Her conversation with writer Martha Hayes touched on the effects of fame. Taylor-Joy became a household name after starring in a variety of productions, notably the film Emma and the TV series The Queen’s Gambit. She won a Golden Globe for the latter and is nominated for an Emmy.

“Most people are sweet and kind and just want to have a conversation, and I love that,” she told the publication.

When asked about the rest of the encounters, she added: “Well, there are other times when you’re just one person facing off against 20 and that’s just physically not safe.”

Taylor-Joy recounted a particularly upsetting incident when she was in New York City to host Saturday Night Live. Her episode aired in May.

“I went home and cried, but then I figured it out,” she told the magazine.

“The next morning I went out and I said, ‘Hello, my name is Anya. Let’s lower down the camera and let’s meet.’ I am not prey. I don’t want to run. I’d rather be like, ‘I understand this is your job and I hope that you can understand that I am a woman of a certain size and I feel intimidated right now, so can we make it work so you can do your job and I can feel less frightened?’”

Last Night in Soho is scheduled for release on 29 October 2021 in the UK and in the US.