Will Anya Taylor-Joy be returning to the chess board?
Per the 25-year-old actress, who won a Golden Globe, SAG Award and a Critics' Choice Television Award for her performance in The Queen's Gambit, she has a never say never attitude about the possibility of a second season. In ELLE's May 2021 Rising Stars issue, Anya explained why she isn't ruling out a return to the Netflix drama.
"It would be silly of me to go, 'There's never going to be a second series,'" she said, "and then I'm 40, and Scott [Frank]'s like, 'Yo, how do you feel about this? You want to go back?'"
In fact, Anya revealed she already has a dream of what's next for her character Beth. She continued, "I hope she starts doing things for her own enjoyment. I'd like Beth to pick up Benny and spend some time with him in Russia, just the two of them being snobby intellectuals together, and I hope she has a Bowie phase."
As E! News readers surely know, The Queen's Gambit, which premiered on the streaming service last October, follows Beth Harmon as she transforms from stoic orphan to cutthroat chess player. And it's safe to say that the period drama, which is based off Walter Tevis' 1983 novel of the same name, resonated with Netflix subscribers.
We're, of course, talking about how 62 million households tuned into the show in 28 days. So, it's no wonder Anya's being asked about a second season.
Although Anya hasn't ruled out a return to the series, co-star Harry Melling seemed less certain about a second season. "I will say that there's a book, and the book ends where we end," the Harry Potter alum exclusively told E! News in December. "Honestly, if there was a second series that would be amazing, I think for everyone. But I'm just not sure there's gonna be a second series."
Like Anya, Harry too had a "never say never" mantra when asked about a second season. "It's a really perfect ending," he concluded. "You, kind of, wouldn't want to mess with it. But, at the same time, I'd love to be back with all those guys."
Guess we'll have to just wait and see the next move.
The Queen's Gambit is available to stream on Netflix.