Anya Taylor-Joy as Lily

Selected by The Hollywood Reporter as a Next Big Thing, BAFTA Rising Star nominee Anya Taylor-Joy recently won the breakthrough actor award at the 2016 Gotham Awards for her breakthrough and debut film role as Thomasin in A24’s The Witch.

Nigel Smith of The Guardian praised Anya as a possible Oscar nominee, with Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair citing that "she holds the camera with an ethereal, but slightly menacing, energy. She could be destined for big things" and Justin Chang of Variety stating "if there’s any one performer to whom the movie belongs, it’s Taylor-Joy." Directed by Robert Eggers, who won the Directing award at the Sundance Festival and the Sutherland Award for Best First Feature at the London Film Festival, the supernatural horror film follows a devout Christian family in New England in the 1640s.

Since the premiere of The Witch at Sundance in 2015 she has gone on to film five leading roles in hugely anticipated films, quickly becoming one of the most in-demand actresses of her generation. She played a leading role in M.Night Shylaman’s masterful thriller Split alongside James McAvoy. The feature, produced with Jason Blum, tells the story of a man with 23 personalities who is compelled to abduct three teenage girls.

Taylor-Joy stars opposite Devon Terrell in Barry, from Black Bear Pictures (The Imitation Game) and director Vikram Gandhi, which saw its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and its streaming debut on Netflix. Inspired by true events, Barry explores the time when a young Barack Obama was trying to find his way as a college student in a new city, forging a relationship with a fellow student (played by Taylor-Joy), as he is faced with questions about race, culture and identity. Taylor-Joy most recently completed the psychological thriller Marrowbone, the debut of director Sergio G. Sanchez (screenwriter of The Impossible) and the story of four siblings who hide from the world in their abandoned farm following their mother’s death. Other cast members include Mia Goth, George Mackay and Charlie Heaton.

Taylor-Joy was most recently seen as the titular character in Morgan, a Ridley Scott-produced sci-fi thriller directed by Luke Scott and co-starring Kate Mara, Paul Giamatti, Toby Jones, and Boyd Holbrook. Taylor-Joy's previous credits include the independent feature Vikings Quest, series two of the BBC’s fantasy drama series "Atlantis" and "Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters."