Anya Taylor-Joy was ‘excited but terrified’ about working with Robert De Niro

Anya Taylor-Joy found the prospect of working with Robert De Niro on her new movie “very exciting (and) mildly terrifying”.

The Queen’s Gambit actress is currently filming David O. Russell’s secretive new movie alongside a star-studded cast including De Niro, Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, Zoe Saldana, and Rami Malek.

In a video for Vanity Fair, the 24-year-old was asked “Who were you most excited to work with before you did?” and she immediately named the Taxi Driver star.

“Robert De Niro. I mean, it’s De Niro. Very exciting, also mildly terrifying but you just have to kind of push that thought out of your head instead of going, like, ‘Why me? Why am I here? This is a mistake!’ Just go with it,” she said.

Since she made her movie debut with The Witch in 2015, Anya has kept very busy, with her credits including Split, Emma, and Peaky Blinders, and she recently took home the Golden Globe for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film for Netflix TV show The Queen’s Gambit.

When asked about her success and fame, director Robert Eggers, who cast her in The Witch, replied, “I’m surprised it took so long! I think some people explode onto the screen. They photograph well but they’re also able to somehow bare their soul – you can see through their skin and into their minds and hearts. Beyond that, she’s a good actress. You can be a great actor and not be a star, but Anya has both.”

Anya recently reunited with the director for his next movie, The Northman, which also stars Alexander Skarsgard, Nicole Kidman, and Willem Dafoe. Filming wrapped in December.