Up until a few years ago, you probably hadn’t heard ofTaylor Russell.
Next, came roles in “Escape Room” and “Waves.”
Suddenly, she was on everyone’s radar in the industry.
Let’s take a look at her journey so far here is the stunning transformation of Taylor Russell.
Her father, an actor himself, was often forced to move for work.
“I didn’t grow up in a wealthy family,” she toldEllein 2019.
“My parents struggled; we were on welfare.”
Of course, she ultimately ended up in Hollywood so it seems her instincts were right.
As she toldDeadline, “I got my agent there after high school.”
First, her focus was ballet.
“I wanted to be a ballerina first,” Russell toldHomme Girls.
She dreamed of one day studying dance at Juilliard.
Later, she thought about taking up painting.
“I also really liked psychology and English,” she toldDeadline.
However, despite her dreams of dancing and painting, the cinema always had a hold on her.
“I always loved movies,” she said.
Luckily, her parents were endlessly supportive of her artistic ambitions.
“There was always an element of flexibility and play in my house,” she explained.
“There weren’t really any boundaries or expectations of doing anything but what I wanted.
I had a lot of freedom.”
And so, her creativity flourished.
She had first tried it as a ninth grader but didn’t initially enjoy it.
“[M]y teacher really didn’t inspire me,” she toldByrdieof her first acting class.
Her first play, as she told Deadline, was “Fame.”
Even though she broke her wrist one day before the show opened, she still performed.
“That was the first time I experienced ‘the show must go on,'” she said.
“I just didn’t accept it, necessarily, until I graduated,” she said.
In fact, throughout high school, the young Russell worked a number of odd jobs.
“I’ve worked since I was 13 years old,” the actor explained to Deadline.
“So many random things.
She even worked at a Szechuan restaurant, Sammy J’s, as a hostess.
Russell saw all of these jobs as her ticket out of Canada and into Hollywood.
She saved up and used her earnings to buy a Toyota Yaris, which took her to Los Angeles.
There, she could audition and pursue her acting dreams.
For four years, she kept up her carousel of odd jobs to make ends meet.
As she told Dazed, “It was four years before anything happened.”
For Russell, the role proved to be life-changing.
“I was so broke until that point,” she confessed to Deadline.
“And then suddenly I was making good Netflix money.
I finally felt like, ‘Oh, I guess I can quit my job now.’
But even then, I felt that I would go back to it at some point.”
The series ran for three seasons and marked a significant era in her life.
As Russell explained toMama’s Geeky, the role was hugely meaningful to her.
“It’s a huge chunk of your life and you grow a lot in that time.”
That’s because the actor is fascinated with holistic wellness and even makes her own health concoctions.
Her recipes include herbal tonics, matcha, and coffee.
“After spending months with you, I know that you’re into holistic wellness,” he said.
“If you could make a magic potion, what would its effect be?”
She replied, “[I]t would be pink, and it would be gorgeous.
I would blow the glass bottle myself, and it would have all these dark red swirls.
Evidently, Russell is famed among her friends for her wellness potions!
As Russell explained to Elle, she knew immediately that the role was perfect for her.
When she read the script, she felt, “I know her, I know this girl.”
Russell dove headfirst into the role and, while filming, began to feel like her character.
She was even plagued by nightmares because of her connection to her.
The role may have been taxing, but it really put Russell on the map.
“I don’t have a lot of people in my life,” the actor toldByrdiein 2022.
As she went on to explain, privacy has become one of her most prized possessions.
She spends much of her time reading.
As the actor toldHarper’s Bazaar, it was her lockdown hobby.
“I wanted to play it for a very long time,” she said.
she recalled, adding, “It’s the harp.
It could never be annoying.
It’s such a beautiful, calming thing.”
The first song she learned, she said, was Radiohead’s ‘“Creep.”
Even after the lockdown, Russell kept up her harp playing.
“it’s possible for you to’t leave a harp at home and travel,” she said.
It’s so sensitive.”
Russell starred alongside Timothee Chalamet as Maren, a young cannibal falling in love.
The role came her way after the director saw her work and reached out.
Sounds like fate if you ask us.
“I was starting to feel like, ‘Oh, boy.
Can I do this?
Do I have the capability to hold all this challenge?'”
However, Chalamet ended up being a huge source of support for Russell.
“That’s when he really supported me, and that never wavered,” she said.
That was invaluable.”
In fact, Russell believes that the film would have been impossible without his help.
“I really mean it when I say that I couldn’t have done it without Timmy.”
The play follows a couple who fall for each other after a drug trial.
The experience was nothing short of thrilling for Russell.
For one thing, it was her first time onstage since high school.
“I’m terrified,” she toldVoguebefore the show opened.
“I just want to be challenged and do things I’ve never done before.”
The play also gave her the chance to learn about the world of drug trials.
She also loved exploring the nature of love.
However, Russell still has a lot she wants to accomplish in the years to come.
Of course, part of her plan is to continue acting.
In 2023, she is set to star in “Mother Couch!”
However, Russell is also keen to explore other facets of filmmaking, like directing.
Even though she doesn’t have formal training, she’s beginning to feel more confident about the prospect.
Or what if we did this instead?'"
“I always want to be malleable,” she said to Vanity Fair.
“I always want be flexible and open.
I think that’s how you stay young, in your spirit and your mind.”
