Meet Dennis Alan Taylor & Jennifer Marina Joy, Anya Taylor-Joy's Parents

Rising star, Anya Taylor-Joy, uses the last names of both her parents, Dennis Alan Taylor and Jennifer Marina Joy, two people she loves and adores.

A look at Anya's recent and upcoming productions shows an actress on the rise. With her career heading towards Hollywood stardom, the American-born British actress has already received acclaim for her performances. Her award cabinet already includes a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award.

However, her journey into the film and television industries would have been different without the support and confidence she got from Dennis and Jennifer. Anya credits their parenting style for her bravery. Their understanding also enabled her to drop out of school despite protests from her older siblings.

Parapet Racer & Psychologist: What Do We Know about the Actress' Parents?

Anya was born to Dennis, a Scottish-Argentine man, and Jennifer, an African-Spanish woman. She is the youngest of six children. Dennis was initially an international banker before he went into racing motorboats. Anya's mother studied psychology and made a career out of it.

Although born in Miami, Anya was raised in Buenos Aires, where most of their extended family lives. When she was six, the family relocated to the United Kingdom and settled in London. The unstable political situation in Argentina forced the move as the parents wanted their children to grow up in a safer environment.

The move from Argentina was initially tricky for Anya and her siblings. Despite her parents having British roots, Anya only learned English when she was eight. Still, she said she missed being in Argentina and wanted to return.

Eventually, the children adapted to the new life, and as they grew older, they began to appreciate their parents' decision to move more. Anya said, retrospectively, it was an excellent decision because it opened up many opportunities for them to have a prosperous life.

Anya Faced Bullying at School

Anya's tough times in the UK intensified when she started going to school. She says that it was a terrible time for her as she used to get bullied quite a lot. Despite being a straight-A student in several subjects, including drama, she spent much of her time crying in bathrooms and in her books.

Anya said the other kids didn't understand her and would do horrible things to her. For example, she would get locked in lockers, barred from attending class, and wouldn't get any invites to events from her schoolmates. But luckily for her, she had her parents, and they had her back.

When she would get bullied for her looks at school, Jennifer would tell her to look at the inside of everybody and not focus on outward characteristics like class or wealth. For Anya, she said that helped and is very grateful to her mother.

After going through so much at school, Anya decided to drop out and pursue an acting career. She wrote an essay to her parents arguing why she thought leaving school was a good idea. Dennis and Jennifer accepted her request, and the rest, as they say, is history.

The Peculiar Attitude of Anya's Parents toward Her Influenced Her Personality

Despite being the youngest in the family, the actress says her parents communicated and treated her like an adult from an early age. Anya Taylor-Joy thinks being the youngest of six may have contributed to this because her parents may have gotten tired of a particular type of parenting.

Instead, it was her older siblings who worried most about her. They were hesitant to let their younger sibling go to foreign countries and make movies for long periods without a phone.

When she was 14, the ambitious Anya withdrew her savings and used them to move to New York. She says her siblings were terrified by her decisions and told her she was ruining her life. However, because of how her parents raised her, she was well prepared to face the life of an adult, although still a teenager.

It is a wholesome story that Dennis and Jennifer's decision to let their daughter follow her dreams turned out to be the right one. She has become a rising star in the film industry. Her new movie, "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," is set to be released this month. It features an ensemble cast including Chris Pratt, Jack Black, Charlie Day, and Seth Rogen.