Anya Taylor-Joy embraces 'sexy' world of con artists in action thriller

Anya Taylor-Joy plays Lucky Armstrong, a con artist on the run, in Apple TV+’s miniseries Lucky. Taylor-Joy described her character with a mix of intrigue and respect, saying that while people call them “con people,” they are essentially “confidence artists.” She told The Arts Hour on BBC World Service that many cons succeed because people are eager to accept what’s presented and want to be told something convincingly. She added that audiences often crave structure, comparing it to how evangelism can reflect a desire to trust charismatic figures without concrete proof. Lucky premieres July 15 and is Taylor-Joy’s first time serving as executive producer, after Hello Sunshine—Reese Witherspoon’s company—approached her. Based on Marissa Stapley’s 2021 novel, the plot begins after a multimillion-dollar heist celebrates between Lucky and boyfriend Cary (Drew Starkey), only for Lucky to wake up penniless with the FBI and crime boss Priscilla (Annette Bening) pursuing her, aided by her incarcerated father John (Timothy Olyphant).