Netflix's The Queen's Gambit Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Thomas Brodie-Sangster and More | THR Interview

Tell the readers of life how it feels to be a girl among all those men. I don't mind it. Your character Beth in this show is a very complex character. Obviously, she has an insane talent for chess, but she has this really traumatic past. What made you want to take on this role? Oh man, I loved her immediately. There was no script when I first heard that Scott wanted to talk to me. Scott Frank, sorry. And I inhaled the book in like an hour and a half. And I'm not a runner, but I ran to that meeting. Like the excitement level that I had of just how much I connected with this woman, how much I wanted to tell her story. And something that I think is really important is I did think I could tell it right. Chess isn't always competitive. Chess can also be beautiful. Now, chess and chess terminology are obviously a huge part of the show. What was your level of chess knowledge before taking on this part? Zero. None. I knew there were pieces. I knew there was a board. But that's actually kind of what was awesome about getting to do this, was that I got invited into a very secret world that's super cool and really interesting. A lot of the chess, especially the speed chess, was my favorite part of filming. It was so exciting to be able to have the pressure of like, OK, you have to learn this very complicated sequence over three boards as quick as you can in five minutes and just like give it a go. I loved it. It was like up there with the proudest I've ever been of something that my brain was able to do because I tricked myself into believing I was a really good chess player. I knew how to play the game. I was aware what each piece did. I used to play checkers when I was a child. It's a similar board. And then my mom bought me chess pieces. But no, that's about it, really. I knew what they all did, but I couldn't formulate a game or think 10, 15 steps ahead of anyone. I knew, obviously, the pieces, the board. But apart from that, I didn't know how to play, didn't know any of the different maneuvers you get told to do. So I was a real beginner. But that's part of the joy of acting, I think. You know, you get to do things that you just wouldn't usually come across. So that was definitely part of this journey, was learning how to be a chess pro. You're an orphan, Beth. I'm fine being alone. I feel safe in an entire world of just 64 squares. Throughout the series, Beth finds family in Jolene at the orphanage, and then in her adopted mother, and even in some friends she meets along the way. What message do you think this series sends about family? Family is where you find it. You know, I think Beth is a very resilient character. She's somebody who really finds connection with people. And she sort of adjusts herself in order to meet whoever she's meeting. She's kind of always growing and changing. And she's a resilient character, I think, who finds it where she can. Family's who you make it, who you invite in, who you allow to share in that space with you. And sometimes it's stronger with those people that aren't blood. And if you allow it, it's something that can bloom into a very beautiful flower, if you will. Yeah. But it's very important. And you can find family in many different walks of life, as long as you are open enough to accept it. I think it's fair to say that Beth has a rough time through the story. And so I guess the message would be, surround yourself with good people, and they're going to help you through that. Oh, it's a beautiful message about family. As you're watching it, something that really struck me, and I think was also a lesson I had to learn for myself, was sometimes when you feel the most alone or the most lonely, it's only because you can't see further than your nose. There are people around you who love you and support you, and you're actually not alone. But the intense sense of loneliness that Beth feels throughout this is so great. And I think seeing how these people stick around for her and how they allow her to grow but are also there whenever she falls, I think it's the idea that you don't have to be born into a great family. You can choose your family.