Anya Taylor-Joy is well known for her role in Netflix’s award-winning series The Queen’s Gambit. Her voice will also be heard in the upcoming Super Mario Bros. Movie as Princess Peach. Modern Luxury San Diego recently interviewed the actress about how she prepared for the role, including how the character influenced her to begin playing video games. Despite not being a gamer before getting the part, she became a dedicated fan after researching the movie.

"Now I am a gamer, and it’s really fun. Ideally, I like playing at arcades, because, again, it’s like cinema; I love the ceremony. I’ll go with a whole bunch of friends. And we’ll just spend hours at the arcade."

Peach made her first appearance in the 1985 Super Mario Bros. video game. As a victim of the big villain Bowser, Peach is often featured as a non-player character (NPC). However, some Nintendo titles allow players to play as the character, such as Super Princess Peach, where she must rescue Mario instead.

As the protector of the Mushroom Kingdom, Peach seems to retain that same formula in the Super Mario Bros. Movie. As shown in the movie's latest trailer, Toad stands beside the princess while she fights Bowser's forces directly. You can check out the official preview below:

Related: Furiosa Star Anya Taylor-Joy Says Film's Stunts Were Her First Time Driving

Taylor-Joy in The Menu
Searchlight Pictures

Taylor-Joy first appeared on screen in 2014 in Endeavor, a drama detective series that takes place in a teen-centric setting. The American-Argentinian actress has since appeared in other acclaimed films, including Last Night in Soho, The Witch, as well as the recent thriller The Menu which co-starred Ralph Fiennes and Nicholas Hoult.

A release date for The Super Mario Bros. Movie has been set for April 2023. In the movie, Taylor-Joy will join Chris Pratt as Mario, Charlie Day as Luigi, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Jack Black as Bowser, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike and Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek. Matthew Fogel wrote the script for the film, which is directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic.

According to Taylor-Joy, she is eager to take part in her 2023 press tour as Peach, where she plans to dress up as the character. After talking with MTV News, she revealed that the arcade is her favorite place to play games and that she has now become "a hardcore adult arcade individual.”