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Wouldst thou like to live deliciously? Anya Taylor-Joy has revealed that she chose A24 folk horror The Witch over a Disney pilot after being offered both on the same day.
"I remember it was the same day I got asked to be in a Disney Channel pilot, and it was so exciting to be offered anything at all that I ran around the house like a loon," she told Harpers Bazaar. "But I just had this really good feeling about The Witch that made me willing to forego the Disney experience for the thing that felt unknown to me, the thing that felt sacred."
The Robert Eggers-directed horror would mark the first-ever film for Taylor-Joy, and would ultimately set her career in motion. Following its premiere at Sundance in 2015, the film was well-received and many were quick to praise her strong, and rather unnerving performance as an innocent young girl who ultimately gives in to evil temptations. Taylor-Joy did not reveal which Disney project she was offered.
"I thought I’d done a really bad job, and I saw myself failing miserably with this dream I’d had for such a long time," she said of her performance, surprised by the critical acclaim. "I guess I’m not always the best judge of my own work."
She added, on The Witch: "It gave me the cornerstones of the way I work now, which is essentially the idea that there is no hierarchy on set: you work hard, you stay on top of the shots and you don’t assume anyone else is going to do that for you. Your title doesn’t stop at actor – you’re a creative on this film, and that’s how you need to approach it."
The Witch is currently streaming on Hulu, while Taylor-Joy later teamed up with Eggers for The Northman, released earlier this year. For more, check out our list of the best horror movies to stream right now.
