‘The Northman’: Anya Taylor-Joy Says Robert Eggers' Viking Film Will Be Something The World “Genuinely Hasn’t Seen Before”
Five years ago,Robert Eggersburst onto the scene withThe Witch, a slow-burn horror film that launched the career of actressAnya Taylor-Joy. Now he’s reuniting withThe Queen’s Gambitstar forThe Northman, a Viking revenge movie which hasAlexander Skarsgårdplaying the lead role.
Taylor-Joy recently spoke a bit about the upcoming movie, teasing that it will be something the world “genuinely hasn’t seen before.”
Taylor-Joy couldn’t get into any specifics aboutThe Northmanduring a recent interview withCollider, but she did a nice job getting us even more amped to see it:
“I am so proud to be a part of this project,” she said. “Every moment on set I am proud. I think we will be presenting to the world something it genuinely hasn’t seen before. I just feel so genuinely humbled that I get to be a part of it.”
Anyone who has seenThe LighthouseorThe Witchknows that Eggers doesn’t make the types of traditional movies that the world is familiar with, but it’s nice to hear one of the people involved confirm that this won’t be a conventional, run-of-the-mill revenge story. The plot ofThe Northmanreportedly involves a Nordic prince (Skarsgård) who goes on a quest to avenge his murdered father. Taylor-Joy,Willem Dafoe(The Lighthouse),Ethan Hawke(First Reformed), andBjörk(Dancer in the Dark) are among the cast members.
Oscar winnerNicole Kidmanis joining the film’s impressive cast as well, boosting its profile even more. This project will mark a reunion of her own, with her formerBig Little Liesco-star (and character’s abusive husband) Skarsgård. In a separate interview, Kidman told Collider that she was “terrified” as she’s about to join the production that’s currently underway in Ireland. But it sounds like her fear is driven by the challenges of the unknown – “a lot of times, I make very spontaneous and rather bold decisions with very little caution or thought,” she said of taking her role. I suspect Eggers' laser-sharp attention to detail and achieving period accuracy will make this shoot a bit more difficult than what she’s used to. Taylor-Joy was excited to get back to that immersive (if uncomfortable) shooting style:
“It’s Robert Eggers! People showed up on our set and were like, ‘Ah, OK, so it’s arealRobert Eggers movie,'” Taylor-Joy said, talking about the harsh filming conditions. “And I’m like, ‘Yeah, you’re going to be cold, you’re never going to be comfortable, but it’s going to be amazing. That’s just the way it is.'”
I love that Kidman is embracing this opportunity instead of shying away from it like so many other actors of her caliber might, and I can’t wait to see the insanity that Eggers has up his sleeve.
