Anya Taylor-Joy went into acting because she wanted to "ride" a whale.

The 30-year-old star was fascinated by large animals when she was growing up and after initially setting her sights on a "made-up job" studying her favourite creatures, she was then inspired to change direction after watching the 1993 family drama Free Willy, which tells the story of a young orphan and his friendship with a captive orca.

Discussing what she would have done if she hadn't been an actress, Anya told Extra: "I really wanted to be a made-up job, which was a large animal biologist. I really wanted to work with tigers and orcas, and I needed to find a job that like combined those two mammals together.

"So, I think I'd probably be working in some sort of conservationism or I'd be a travel journalist.

"I wanted to be an actor because I saw 'Free Willy.' I wanted to be the kid that rode the whale."

The Queen's Gambit star can next be seen in Lucky, playing the titular con artist, who goes on the run after a heist goes wrong.

But Anya didn't have to undergo much training for the physical scenes because she and director Jonathan Van Tullekin felt it was important to show her character's lack of natural athleticism.

She said: "For Lucky because she's not somebody who is naturally that athletic.

"The director Jonathan Van Tulleken and I talked a lot about kind of trying to do everything as badly as you could so that the audience feels a real sense of risk and they feel like you're really getting by on the skin of your teeth. So, it was fun."

It was revealed last month that Anya has joined the cast of The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum as Seren, and she couldn't be more excited about the movie, which will be directed by Andy Serkis.

She said: "I am a lethal elf. I'm so excited. I've been a big fan for a long time and I'm a huge fantasy nerd. So, the idea that I get to inhabit this world is so thrilling."