Anya Taylor-Joy makes candid confession ahead of 'The Hunt for Gollum'

Anya Taylor-Joy has made a surprising confession ahead of her journey into Middle-earth that she's never actually read The Lord of the Rings books.

The 30-year-old actress, who is set to play the elf Seren in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, revealed she only recently decided to pick up J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved novels after years of believing she had to choose between two iconic fantasy worlds.

Speaking at the premiere of her new Apple TV+ series Lucky, Anya admitted she had convinced herself as a child that fans could only love either Harry Potter or The Lord of the Rings.

"I had a misguided idea that you could only be a Harry Potter fan or a Lord of the Rings fan," she laughed, explaining that watching Peter Jackson's epic trilogy during the Covid pandemic completely changed her mind. 

"Turns out you can love both, and you should."

Despite being a newcomer to Tolkien's books, Anya is already embracing her role in The Hunt for Gollum, which reunites stars Andy Serkis and Elijah Wood while welcoming new faces including Jamie Dornan and Kate Winslet. 

She even joked that she'd be delighted if her career was remembered with the words "Lethal Elf" on her tombstone.

Away from Middle-earth, the Queen's Gambit star also revealed her childhood dream wasn't Hollywood fame but working with wild animals after being inspired by the 1993 film Free Willy.

Anya admitted she once wanted to become a conservationist or travel journalist, confessing she only pursued acting because she dreamed of being "the kid that rode the whale".

The actress is currently starring in Apple TV+'s Lucky, where she plays a con artist forced to fight for survival after a heist spirals out of control.

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