Anya Taylor-Joy used different walks and body language to play her character in the Netflix series “The Queen’s Gambit” at ages ranging from early teens to early 20s. “It was a science experiment for me,” says the 24-year-old actress. (Oct. 20) AP Entertainment
Paired with the superb score, “Queen’s” gives the series’ many chess matches near Olympic tension and gravitas, as exciting as any great sports film
Sbit” has jumped to the No. 1 spot on Netflix in the U.S. for good reason – it’s just that good. Even if it’s about chess.
Based on the ing now, ???? out of four) follows the rise of fictional chess prodigy Beth Harmon (a stunning Anya Taylor-Joy), a Kentucky orphan in the 1960s who learns the game from a p) in her orphanage’s basement. As a teen, she makes her way onto the international chess circuit, traveling the globe and handily beating men twice her age.
Thanks to Taylor-Joy’s performance, a strong supporting cast and the right balance of trials and triumph, “Queen’s” is a surprisingly gripping adventure (yes, a chess adventure) that still manages to find levity and happiness. It’s a show that seems tailor-made for our joy-starved minds in a somber modern world. It might make even the most skeptical among us take dust-covered chess sets out of the basement
She also spends that time battling addiction, a much harder fight for Beth than any chess match
The series begins with Beth as a quiet 9-year-old who has just been orphaned by a car crash and is delivered to a depressing orphanage that hands out tranquilizers like candy to keep the kids docile. Continue reading ‘The Queen’s Gambit’: This Netflix miniseries about chess is one of the best shows of 2020