Anya Taylor-Joy’s range as an actress came into focus during a bizarre interview, when she was asked to compare one of America’s most iconic songwriters to a beloved Nintendo character.
During Taylor-Joy’s appearance on the Today show Wednesday, host Craig Melvin asked the actress about reprising the role of Princess Peach in the upcoming Super Mario Galaxy Movie and her rumored performance as Grammy award-winning singer Joni Mitchell.
Melvin and Taylor-Joy discussed the “through lines” in her career as an actress and the characters she chooses to portray, after which Melvin posed a surprising question.
“You’re rumored to be playing Joni Mitchell, speaking of through lines,” Melvin began. “One of the, arguably, most singularly important women in music over the last generation or so. Princess Peach, one of the most iconic women in gaming history. What’s the connection there?”
Taylor-Joy, 29, then paused momentarily. “What’s the connection between Joni and Princess Peach?” she asked, repeating the question back to the Today host.
“Yeah,” he replied.
“How they’re both singular. You can’t touch them,” responded Taylor-Joy thoughtfully. “They’re in a league of their own.”
The Golden Globe winner somehow connected the vastly different figures, impressing fans. The exchange went viral on X, where a clip of the interview garnered over 4.4 million views.
“Honestly props to Anya for pulling that one out of the fire,” one user wrote.
“This is a question that has never been asked to anyone before,” said another.
Taylor-Joy is voicing Princess Peach in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which also stars Chris Pratt as Mario, Charlie Day as Luigi, Jack Black as Bowser, and Keegan-Michael Key as Toad. She first lent her voice to the character in 2023 for The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which was a wild success at the box office. The action-comedy became the third-highest-grossing animated film of all time.
But the new installment is projected to beat its predecessor, heading for a $160 million 5-day opening when it premieres over the Easter weekend.
The untitled biopic on Mitchell, now 82, is being directed by Cameron Crowe, who also directed Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous.
Taylor-Joy’s role as Mitchell, an 11-time Grammy winner, in the upcoming biopic is still unconfirmed. Three-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep has reportedly been cast in the film, set to portray Mitchell in her later years.
