Anya Taylor-Joy has no regrets turning down Disney for this role

British-American actress Anya Taylor-Joy revealed in a recent interview with Harper’s Bazaar magazine that she turned down Disney’s offer to star in Robert Eggers’ The Witch, via Variety.

The actress was offered to star in a pilot for Disney Channel which she got on the same day as the said movie.

Premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2015, The Witch is the horror movie that gave Taylor-Joy her first acting break. “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,” Taylor-Joy said. “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.”

However, the actress, 26, wasn’t as confident for her performance in the movie.

According to the outlet while Anya gave a compelling performance as an innocent young girl, who gradually succumbs to the forces of evil around her, was surprised that the movie garnered critical acclaim. “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 shared. "I guess I’m not always the best judge of my own work."

The Queen’s Gambit star still holds the role very close to her heart. “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," she added. "Your title doesn’t stop at actor – you’re a creative on this film, and that’s how you need to approach it.”

Taylor-Joy recently wrapped production on George Miller’s Furiosa, a prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road that Warner Bros. is set to release in theatres on May 24, 2024.