Anya Taylor-Joy Got Bullied for the Exact Eyes That Made Her a Star

The distinctive wide-set eyes that helped make Anya Taylor-Joy a star were once the very feature that made her a target for bullies.

Anya Taylor-Joy leans in to kiss her husband Malcolm McRae as he lies back in the shallow water during a beach day in Key Biscayne, Florida, on July 24, 2026. Photo by Backgrid.

“I can definitely remember when Facebook was a thing and I was never aware that my eyes were far apart and then someone tagged me in a picture with a fish and they were like, ‘This is you ’cause your eyes are like here.’ And I was really upset about it and I didn’t enjoy it and I kind of stopped looking in mirrors for a very long time.” — Anya Taylor-Joy

Anya Taylor-Joy walks along the waterfront at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne on July 23, 2026, wearing a white fitted tee, flowing black skirt, and sandals. Photo by Backgrid.

The damage started with a Facebook tag. Someone put teenage Anya Taylor-Joy beside a picture of a fish, joking that her eyes sat too far apart, and she couldn’t shake it. She told W Magazine in 2016 that she stopped looking in mirrors for a very long time afterward and still doesn’t spend much time in front of them. “I don’t really have to deal with my face,” she added. “Unfortunately, y’all do.”

At the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, Anya Taylor-Joy stepped onto the arrivals carpet for the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards on January 15, 2023, in a sheer scalloped midi dress. Photo by Frazer Harrison / Getty Images.

The teasing went back further. She’s said kids on the playground taunted her over her eyes, and that her coordination in sports was so poor teammates had to throw the ball at the side of her head so she’d see it coming. On “The Drew Barrymore Show” in 2022, she recalled being bullied over her looks at school and stuffed into lockers, and credited her parents, especially her mom, for teaching her to value what’s inside over appearance.

Anya Taylor-Joy poses at the Madrid photocall for ‘Split’ in January 2017. Photo by Pablo Cuadra / Getty Images.

The features her classmates mocked became her signature in Hollywood, but the insecurity stuck.

On July 16, 2026, SoHo streets in New York City served as the backdrop for Anya Taylor-Joy, spotted in a color-blocked ensemble: purple bikini top, olive cardigan, and a printed midi skirt. Photo by Raymond Hall / GC Images via Getty Images.

Around the 2020 “Emma” adaptation she called herself “the first ugly Emma” and admitted she sometimes avoids watching her own films. “I have never and I don’t think I will ever think of myself as beautiful,” she told The Sun that same year. “I don’t think I’m beautiful enough to be in films… I just think I’m weird-looking.”

At the Los Angeles premiere of TV series ‘Lucky’ on July 13, 2026, Anya Taylor-Joy makes an appearance. Photo by Mario Anzuoni / REUTERS.

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