Anya Taylor-Joy has made it clear that no role is worth forgetting how to treat people well. The actress recently shared why she avoids Method acting, arguing that professionalism matters more than staying in character around the clock.
Her comments quickly reignited the long-running debate over Hollywood’s most controversial acting technique. They also sparked fresh conversations about why women often approach demanding roles differently.
Taylor-Joy shared why maintaining good relationships on set matters more than staying in character
During an interview with Complex News, Anya explained why she has never embraced Method acting despite delivering intense performances throughout her career.
“If you’ll notice, women don’t method act because we have things to take care of,” she said. “So we can’t completely lose our minds.”
The Furiosa star described acting as “a controlled psychosis.” She explained that stepping into another person’s mindset already demands enormous emotional energy.
“You are pretending to be somebody else and having their thoughts 16 hours a day,” she said. “It’s like having a sister or a roommate check in up [in my mind] for a little bit.” Even so, Anya believes actors still owe respect to everyone working beside them.
“I can’t imagine keeping it up all the time,” she explained. “You’re going to work with hundreds of people and it is your responsibility to be good to them and to help them do their best job.”
She added, “If you’re too invested in being an asshole then that’s not gonna be very fun.”
Her comments echoed opinions from several other actresses. Natalie Portman previously called Method acting “a luxury that women can’t afford,” while Kristen Stewart questioned why the approach remains closely linked with male performers.
Not everyone agrees with that criticism. Daniel Day-Lewis defended Method acting during recent interviews, saying many people misunderstand the technique. “All the recent commentary… is invariably from people who have little or no understanding of what it actually involves,” he said at the London Film Festival as reported by PEOPLE.
Andrew Garfield also pushed back against common misconceptions. Speaking on the WTF With Marc Maron podcast, he said, “It’s not about being an a–hole to everyone on set.”
For Taylor-Joy, however, the line remains simple. She wants every performance to feel authentic without making life harder for the cast and crew around her.
TELL US – DO YOU AGREE WITH ANYA TAYLOR-JOY THAT ACTORS SHOULD NEVER STAY IN CHARACTER AT THE EXPENSE OF THEIR CO-WORKERS?
