Anya Taylor-Joy shares her immense grief while filming ‘Lucky’

Anya Taylor-Joy opened up about her pain as she filmed her latest show, ‘Lucky’

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Published August 29, 2026
Anya Taylor-Joy shares her immense grief while filming ‘Lucky’

Anya Taylor-Joy has revealed she was grieving the death of her dog while filming her latest TV show, Lucky.

The 30-year-old actress, who starred in and produced the crime drama, has revealed that her beloved pet died on the first day of filming.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Anya was asked whether she ever became emotional herself while filming heartfelt scenes as her character, Lucky.

"Ooh, interesting. (Such crying) didn't happen in front of the camera, but my dog passed away on our first day of filming, so that was hard," she admitted.

The Queen's Gambit star went on to explain that her busy filming schedule meant she was unable to grieve in the way she normally would.

"We were shooting all night long from 11:00 PM to 11:00 AM. And I think a big part of grief is being able to sleep through it," she stated.

"So, it was such an interesting lesson of, Okay, you're going to be awake. Your body is going to be pumping adrenaline the whole time. You have to find a way of making this okay and being a leader here because you can't fall apart. And I'm actually really grateful for that experience,” Anya said.

Elsewhere in the interview, she also reflected on casting her musician husband Malcolm McRae in a brief cameo in the show, explaining that he had been recording "a lot" of self-tapes at the time.

"So, I was just watching him one day, and I said, 'Damn, you could be really good for this. Would you mind taping for it?' And he did," she told the publication.

"Afterwards I was like, 'Wait a second, this really works out for me. Instead of having a stranger slobber all over me, I'd much rather it be the man that I'm in love with,'" Anya Taylor-Joy said of casting her husband.

Lucky, also starring Timothy Olyphant and Drew Starkey, is streaming currently on Apple TV.

Sadaf Naushad
Sadaf Naushad is a Journalist and Neurochemistry master's graduate with over four years of experience. Leveraging her scientific background, she specialises in celebrity wellness, mental health, and the psychology of lifestyle trends, bridging the gap between science and pop culture to provide expert insight into global icons' well-being.
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