# Anya Taylor-Joy was relieved she didn’t have to work with a method actor playing a cannibal

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/anya-taylor-joy-was-relieved-she-didnt-have-to-work-with-a-method-actor-playing-a-cannibal/
- Published: 2026-11-02T11:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-02T11:15:55+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/anya-taylor-joy-was-relieved-she-didnt-have-to-work-with-a-method-actor-playing-a-cannibal/
- Topics: Celebrity, Entertainment

## Key points

- Taylor-Joy was glad McAvoy replaced Phoenix in *Split*.
- She joked about playing opposite a method actor portraying a cannibal.
- McAvoy had only weeks to prepare for eight personalities.

## Summary

Anya Taylor-Joy said she was relieved that James McAvoy replaced Joaquin Phoenix in the 2017 thriller *Split*. She imagined that filming scenes as a captive opposite a method actor playing a character who might eat her could have been an uncomfortable experience.

Taylor-Joy has criticised method acting as a practice more readily accepted in male performers, and says actors should consider the effect their behaviour has on cast and crew. McAvoy joined the film about two weeks before shooting and prepared to play eight of the character’s 24 personalities; he said the short preparation time helped him trust his instincts.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.