Anya Taylor-Joy has said she “survived on Diet Coke, cigarettes and coffee” as she filmed three projects consecutively.
The actress, 25, had only one day off in between filming each project as she went from making Autumn de Wilde’s adaptation of Emma in which she was the lead, to working on Edgar Wright’s upcoming Last Night In Soho, and then working on Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit.
Taylor-Joy has received plaudits for her role in The Queen’s Gambit, which tells the story of an orphaned chess prodigy during the Cold War era, and last year won a Golden Globe for the best performance by an actress in a limited series.
Appearing on the cover of Tatler’s October issue, she told the magazine of her busy schedule: “I survived on Diet Coke, cigarettes and coffee, and by the end of it, I was like, ‘I need to eat a vegetable.’”
Psychological horror Last Night In Soho is Wright’s first big screen feature since Baby Driver in 2017.
It follows a young fashion designer named Eloise, played by Thomasin McKenzie, who goes back to the 1960s while on a trip to central London where she encounters Sandy, her glamorous idol, played by Taylor-Joy.
A trailer released in May this year features Taylor-Joy singing a version of Petula Clark’s 1964 hit Downtown.
She told Tatler: “There were definitely some nerves, but I’ve always sung and I enjoy doing it.”
Expanding on whether she had any lessons before filming, she added: “I’m not great at preparing for things, so I just showed up and was like, ‘Okay, let’s just try this, hopefully they won’t hate it.’
“It’s been nice hearing the reception to it. I like creepy singing, it’s an enjoyable thing to do.”
The October issue of Tatler is available through digital download and on newsstands on September 2.