Quotes

You do not mess with my characters.

It sounds like such a cliché, but I'm so incredibly lucky to be able to do what I love.

It's strange, but for better or for worse-and I'm hoping it's for better-I tend to forget my accomplishments as soon as they happen.

[on why her parents decided to move from Argentina] My Dad's Scottish-Argentine and my Mum's African-Spanish - and the political situation in Argentina was getting so dire that they wanted their children to grow up in an environment without fear. We all really resented them for it and now we look back, we're like thank you so much because they gave us such an opportunity in life.

I was born in Miami but we moved straight away to Argentina where most of my family still lives, and I was there until I was six, and then we moved to England, and I learnt English when I was eight. I was stubborn and I wanted to go home and I didn't understand London at all. I'd come from a place where everything was green and everything was expensive and there were animals everywhere and all of a sudden, I came here [in England] and I was like 'what the f*ck is going on?'

Acting is really a give-and-take; it's a dance.

I don't know what kind of career I want to forge for myself. But I want it to be one where I love the work that I've done. And I like to think that I have good instincts.

I refused to learn English for two years when we moved to London, hoping to send my family back home. It was tough, but at the same time, it has given me a sense of displacement that actually really suits the life that I'm living now.

I don't really feel like I belong anywhere, which makes me belong everywhere.

I think, probably, the place that I feel I most belong is a movie set. It doesn't matter where it is in the world or who I'm making the movie with; that's the closest thing that I've got to a sense of placement. So I guess acting was a way of finding a home, if that makes sense.

I was devoured by the story, and I was devoured by this character. I just knew how to play Beth Harmon the moment I read her in the book. I've never had such little skin between myself and a character before.

[on how she viewed the game of chess as a kid] I always looked at the board and thought it looks really beautiful. As a kid I would play out fantasy scenarios with the pieces. I didn't know how to play, but I kind of like created my own little kingdom.

I come from many different places, but I think my warmth and my outlook on life are from Argentina. I'm very grateful for that part of my history. I feel very proud to come from Argentina.

[on her performance as Illyana Rasputin] She was the first character I ever played who stomped into a room. The first day on set, I was like, I'm about to be a real dick to a whole bunch of people, then grow a massive arm and have a huge sword. All self-consciousness must go out the window, and you've just got to throw yourself into this right now.

I had a really tough time at school, I was bullied and it was all making me quite depressed so I just wanted to go out into the world, which, um, my parents were thrilled about.

[on having a panic attack during the filming of Emma.] My instant reaction was, 'I've messed up!' And the love that I got from everybody on that set meant I was only down for half an hour, but half an hour for me is like, 'I've delayed filming for half an hour!' Everyone was just so kind me and they were like, 'you're doing great and this is a lot and it's okay to have a wobble.' So, I think they just made me a bit more comfortable with being human.

[on working with Robert Eggers on the production of The Witch] The most special thing about Robert and I is that nobody else understands the jump that our lives took after The Witch. We had never made a movie before. We didn't know if anyone was ever going to see it, and, literally overnight, the film exploded. It was never something we were expecting to happen. Now we get to play together again, and do the thing that we both love together. It feels like going home.

[upon being asked about using a sword for her role as Illyana Rasputin] It's awesome, it's so cool, it's so much fun. I've gotten the chance to do stunts training with it. I did a movie called Morgan? Where I got to throw a lot of punches and learn how to do all the fighting, but like hand-to-hand combat and sword combat is so much...it's just, you can't pull a sword, you just kind of have to hit it, so it's like 'ah!' But it's really cool, I have a whole bunch of different ones, ones that light up, ones that are really heavy, ones that are lighter, rubber, it's just been a blast. The arm, the sword, it's pretty fucking cool. So I'm having a good time.

[on how she requested Robert Eggers to make a slight change to a key scene for the film, The Witch] I remember having a really important conversation with Rob, where there's a moment where Thomasin's been accused of doing everything, and she's trying to tell her parents and it's actually the twins and that they're making this covenant with the devil. And Rob had written that I was hysterically crying, and I just couldn't get there, which was weird for me because tears come relatively easily. And I just looked at Rob and I was like, 'She's angry. We have to stop pushing this narrative that we just cry all the time. Like, she's so angry right now.' Having that conversation with him and kind of sticking up for my character in a way really set a precedent for me. I loved it when the film came out, Rob came up to me and said, 'You were right.'

[after being asked if The Witch film sparked her interest in witchcraft] I have always been a history buff, and I have always been really into magic. When I was a kid, I would run off into the woods so happily looking for witches and things like that because I wanted to play with them. So, from a history buff's point of view, this was right up my street. A lot of people look at this movie and still don't really get that this happened, while I was like, Oh, these things must be real and this is the way it was.

[upon being asked on what the living conditions of the movie set for The Witch were like] Rob [the film's director] was very smart in how he cast the film; he did something amazing for all of us in that he delivered all of our best friends. We were so close and so in love with each other, but the shooting of the film was difficult. The actual hanging out with people and interactions and vibes on set was very light and very fun, but as far as the actual reality of shooting the movie-we willed this thing into existence. I'm talking animals, children, the dogs, all sinking into the muddy ground; no WiFi, no cell service. Spring just started to come, so we had to pick up all the buds off of the trees and the sun was out all the damn time. So, we worked really, really hard to make this.

[after being asked if there is anything that she is frightened of] I'm so sorry. You probably want something really deep and intense, but if I'm going to be really honest, I have an unhealthy fears of baboons. They really, really panic me. I don't even know why. I love animals. I'm the biggest animal lover in the world. Baboons and I are just not supposed to be in the same room. Ever.

[after being asked if there was anything about the film The Witch that scared her] I was so wrapped up in Thomasin and her struggle, so not really. When I saw the movie for the first time, I was so struck by the number of close ups there were. I was like, Wow, how did you get that close to my face. That camera was all up in my grill and I was completely oblivious to it because Thomasin is such an interesting maverick on the inside that I spent a majority of the time filming the movie just lost in her world.

The way that I prepare for auditions is that I read the script the night before and then again a few minutes before I go. I read The Witch very late at night on my own in my bedroom, and when I turned the final page I swear to god my body collapsed. I didn't understand it. There was something so powerful about what I was experiencing, and it felt like someone was choking me with anxiety and fear. I didn't even realize this was something that frightened me. This is the feeling that I will continue to chase for every script that I ever read from now on.

[upon being asked on why she thinks that the history of America's witchcraft is all the sudden a common public topic after the movie The Witch was released] There is definitely something mystical out there that none of us could have predicted-and we are very lucky for it. You know, if I were to offer a hesitant guess, I would think that women's rights are finally at the forefront of a lot of things-people are talking and thinking about that-and this is a part of history that women, innocent women, were being brutally murdered. I think that no one really thought about that for a while, a lot of people forget that it happened, and I'm so glad that The Witch can bring the reality of it back. The truth is the movie is so historically accurate and I bet you a lot of people will go see it and be like, oh it's a made up story. But, no, this is what a witch was. It's a very scary thing and if you were a woman being accused of it, that was a death sentence.

[on being asked if it was hard to put herself in the right mindset for one of the disturbing scenes of The Witch] I have a very overactive imagination, and I had the most unbelievable empathy for Thomasin. I wanted to tell her story right, and if you care that much about a character and are impassioned about her, it's easy to get into that state, because you don't want to let her down. Actually, the hardest scene in terms of the emotional response behind it was the big one between me and Kate. We talked about it from the beginning, and we both decided that we were going to go for it. It was insane, and it must have been very strange for the crew, because you had these two women who would still be hysterically crying after they called 'Cut.' We just wouldn't be able to hold it back, and then we'd have to go again and again and again.

Movies from the '40s/'50s. Funny Face. Top Hat. High Society. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Bringing Up Baby. Singin' in the Rain. Sheer escapism.

[after being asked if horror films are something she would like to continue to be casted in and if horror offers something that isn't found in other film genres] That's a very interesting question. I can say that while, yes, The Witch is a horror movie, from the point of view of the actors, we were making a family drama. And from Rob's point of view, we were making a fairy tale. I don't really understand the necessity of putting things in a box, rather than just creating a piece of art and saying, 'It can be whatever you want to call it.' However, I will say that in this genre, the characters can be beautifully flawed in a way a lot of other movies are too scared to show. When you make these kinds of films with these great auteurs, they want to show the ugly side of humanity, which people don't really want to talk about. They want a Disneyfied, sanitized version rather than the truth, and I think the truth is always so much more beautiful.

[after being asked if she had any problems with the animals used for the filming of The Witch, based on how Ralph Ineson had difficulty handling the goat named Charlie] Charlie and I actually got along really well, but that's because I love animals, and we would just hang out. I loved the horse, Lady; she's the most magnificent specimen ever, and all the animals were great-apart from the way Charlie treated Ralph, and the fact that he wouldn't really do anything he was supposed to do.

Continuously amazed at the restorative powers of art. A good or personally treasured film or show offers as much respite to me now as it did when facing my comparatively insignificant worries as a child. May we continue to find hope, faith and solace in them, in the knowledge that the tenacity and fortitude of the human spirit (especially when working together) ensures that we endure.

I really enjoy any kind of weather that's intense and reminds you of how little you are in the universe. Very dramatic rain makes me excited, and I will always be just out there sitting in it.

[upon watching Stanley Kubrick's The Shining while being quarantined during the COVID pandemic] The first movie watched during shelter-in-place. Above all else, one must never lose their sense of humor.

[on the film Pan's Labyrinth] Gothic fairy tales are potentially my favorite genre of film, and Guillermo del Toro is a master. A classic.

[on Tim Burton's Big Fish] A film I hadn't seen in forever! I'm a huge fan of Tim Burton and this story had always intrigued me as a kid... I've always loved a metaphor and this one has them in spades.

[after being asked on how she felt upon watching herself portray Thomasin in The Witch for the first time] Rob was very kind, and I think he knew, because it was my first feature, that I was going to freak out, so he was like, 'Why don't we watch it before the volunteer screening, just so you're prepared.' I wish this wasn't the case, but I guess actors have a lot of insecurities, and my first thought after watching the film was that I was so terrible that I would have to go be an accountant, my first movie was going to be my last and I was so disappointed in myself. Then I went to the screening and saw other people's reactions and thought, 'What? Really? OK, it's all right, I guess.' I actually considered not watching my performance, and then I was like, how arrogant would I be if I didn't want to see this movie, because this is everyone else's work too. I wanted to be able to watch the film and be like, props, damn good job, we struggled that day and pulled it off beautifully.

[on why Gilmore Girls is her favorite TV series] My first time watching the series, though I remember my elder sister being obsessed with it. Honestly, it feels very calming and self-loving to listen to a mother and daughter duo discuss coffee and the intricacies of Billy Idol's pout on his album cover. Simpler times.

I like the intensity of having a short amount of time. You feel like you're moving towards the same goal.

I can definitely remember when Facebook was a thing and I was never aware that my eyes were far apart and then someone tagged me in a picture with a fish and they were like, 'This is you 'cause your eyes are like here'. And I was really upset about it and I didn't enjoy it and I kind of stopped looking in mirrors for a very long time. I still don't really spend a lot of time in front of mirrors because I don't really have to deal with my face. Unfortunately, y'all do.

[on the Northman filming locations being very cold] I remember literally saying to Rob [Eggers], 'If this doesn't look as cold as it actually is, I will be so angry.' We were fully in it. I had a great time. I really enjoyed it. I think it definitely adds something to the film. But everything that you're seeing is 100% real.

I'm aware of the fact I don't look like a typical Latin person, and that's not fair. I don't want to be someone that you can just sub in for that role when I'm really white and blonde.

[after being asked if being casted in the Northman film helped prepared her for her role in the Furiosa film] I remember, there was a very specific moment where I was looking out at all of the green of Ireland, if you've ever been lucky enough to visit, it's a very specific green. And I just remember looking and thinking, 'I'm not going to see green, or snow.' It will be a vista this impressive, but it will be entirely the opposite of this wet, fertile place. I'm just like, 'Wow, okay, I'm really going to experience both extremes this year.' But I'm so excited about it. Both filmmakers have a real ambition to bring fascinating images to audiences. The people that they attract to those experiences are people that share that vision so much that you're kind of ready to do anything to make it come true. Right?

I've never taken a job just to take a job. I feel like that would be a bit soul-destroying for me. I read a character and I hear their voice and I feel like I belong to them, and they belong to me.

[on dealing with paparazzi upon walking around in public] There are times when you're just one person facing off against 20 and that's just physically not safe. It can be very frightening when there are whole bunches of men with cameras attached to their faces running after you down the street. 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?'

I don't give a f*ck where the camera is, I don't care what I'm showing, or if I look fat, or if this isn't a great angle for me.

[on how people treated her as a kid for being born with large wide set eyes] My eyes really were on both sides of my face. It became common knowledge in the playground that if you wanted me to catch a ball, you had to throw it at the side of my head 'cause if you just threw it straight here, I'd just be like, 'Oh, my God. What? What happened? What's going on?' And now it's like my face has grown a bit more. I'm kind of growing into myself. I'm a bit less awkward. Though I'm still growing a lot. I'm still getting taller - I grew like two inches last year. I don't really know what to do with all of my limbs.

[on the rewarding experience in which she and the crew of the Northman film went through] That's something that I really love about these experiences, that it's so difficult to do. Everyone every morning knows that what we're going out to do is something that's very difficult. And so you bond and you have this intense fraternity with everyone around you. Because it's not like Rob's in a nice warm van watching it happen. He's in the mud. And we're all being absolutely pummeled by the wind. And then you get it at the end of the day, and you go home and you're like, I did a good job today. I survived. We did the shot, and I feel good about myself today.

[on comparing Argentina to London] Argentina is all green and I had horses and animals everywhere. All of a sudden I was in big city and I didn't speak the language.

I don't sleep, I've been an insomniac since I was seven. I used to be very frightened of that alone time. But then I was like, it's more time to create: I can read, I can write, I can sing. It's a superpower. I need very little sleep.

[on discussing abused women and her character Casey Cooke from the film Split] It affects one in three women, my characters are incredibly real for me and I was just in so much pain for her. No one should ever have to endure that, and I don't know where people get off thinking that they own other women's bodies, because you are the only owner of your body and no one is allowed to touch you without your consent. A lot of people in society think that if something like that's happened to you, you're tainted. It's never the person's fault, it's always the abuser's fault.

I don't have time to be a 25-year-old with a hangover. But I'm not someone who needs a drink to dance. Basically I've become very efficient at everything. I'm like 'What do I need out of this situation? I need to dance for a couple of hours, see my friends and have a good time', so I'm like 'Right, let's bang it out.' Then it's: go home, have a bath, get up for work. I sound mental, but that's what's working for me right now.