Is there anything I’ve learnt about confidence? Listen, I’m still figuring it out,” Anya Taylor-Joy tells us in the latest episode of our Life Lessons series. “I think it’s something that has to come from you. I don’t think it’s something that you can rely on other people to constantly validate you for… You have to believe that you are worthy. And that’s actually really hard.”

With her unwavering commitment to creativity, the mesmerising and multifaceted star now has Hollywood and the fashion world at her feet – and is why she was named our Actress of the Year at the 2022 Women of the Year Awards.

The 26-year-old is an expert at transformation, moving seamlessly from one character to the next, kitted out in Regency dress one month and Sixties garb the next, then equally comfortable wearing rags befitting a Mad Max dystopia, or the contemporary looks of her current film, The Menu.

“Trying to pick a project that I’m most proud of is like trying to pick between children,” she laughs. “Even if you do have a favourite, you’re not supposed to say it!” She adds that she’s most proud of how she’s managed the balance of her hectic schedule. “I work back-to-back,” she explains. “Characters are real people for me, and I mourn them when they’re gone. So being able to jump from the skin of one person into the next rather quickly, actually helps me compartmentalise my feelings. I give myself an hour to breathe and then I have to let it go and move on to the next thing the next day. I’m proud that I’ve kept up with that.”

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