PINT OF MILK
Talking dairy products with Anya Taylor-joy.
What character did you play in your firstever school play?
I was about nine or ten and I played Perkin in Perkin And The Pastry Cook. It was kind of like a version of The Emperor’s New Clothes. I was playing a boy and my costume included my mum’s thigh-high leather boots. I felt like a rock star. I had a very badly drawn fake moustache that I refused to wash off because I loved it. Actually, I remember there was a moment where somebody didn’t come on stage and I freaked out and started delivering a monologue to pass the time. Afterwards, the director — our art teacher — said, “You might be good at this. You should think about doing it properly.”
When in your life were you most starstruck?
I think it was while having a conversation with Dan Romer, who composed the soundtrack to Beasts Of the Southern Wild. When I was making The Witch, that soundtrack was all I listened to. I met him and had a lovely conversation and suddenly had a moment where I thought, “I am talking to the man who soundtracked my life.”
How much is a pint of milk?
Oh shit. I don’t buy milk. A quid? 90p? Does that question freak people out? Who knows that?
Which film have you seen more than any other?
When I was a kid, my dad and I would watch
Top Gun on Laserdisc. My dad had an absolute obsession with Top Gun. Every weekend. Every birthday. Always Top Gun. I am really looking forward to being able to see the sequel with my dad. Also, when I was a bit older I was obsessed with the 2003 Peter Pan, with Jeremy Sumpter in it. I would wake up two-and-a-half hours before school to watch it, because I was deeply in crush.
Have you ever sent fan mail?
Yes. This is very embarrassing. Do people usually get this embarrassed in this interview? I sent a letter, when I was 11 or 12, to the people who made Harry Potter, saying, “I really want to be an actor and I’m obsessed with Harry Potter. Can I be in your movie?” I never heard back. I also wrote to John Green, the author, when I was 13 and he did write back and his letter was so lovely.
What’s the worst thing you’ve ever put in your mouth?
Raisins. I have a hatred of raisins that is bordering on a phobia. They terrify me. When I was a kid, I thought, for some reason, that biting into a raisin is what it would be like to bite into an old person’s arm, and I’ve never gotten over that. And now I’ve ruined raisins for you too.
Have you ever stolen anything from a hotel?
This isn’t a hotel story but I like it. I travelled on Eurostar and I was obsessed with the little glasses they give you for your wine. They’re really tiny and cute. I was talking to the steward and at the end of the journey he gave me a set. So I didn’t steal but I very heavily hinted that I’d like them.
What one thing do you do better than anyone else you know?
Read very quickly and make friends with cats very easily. Cats like my vibe. It’s a gift.
What’s the last TV show you binged?
Pose on Netflix. I cried hysterically through most of it. I loved every second of it.
What is the worst smell in the world?
Toilets at a music festival. I was talking to a friend the other day about the worst queue you’ve ever stood in, and I said, “The bathrooms at Reading [Festival].” Awful.
What is your earliest memory?
I told my parents this the other day and they didn’t believe it was my first memory, but it honestly is. I remember being in the back of my parents’ car, going to the countryside, and hearing The Bee Gees’ ‘Stayin’ Alive’ and thinking it was amazing. I’d have been three or four. It took ages for me to find out what it was. Years. In my early adolescence, I’d be typing “ah ah ah aah” into the computer to try to find out what it was. OLLY RICHARDS EMMA. IS OUT NOW ON DVD, BLU-RAY AND DOWNLOAD