1. First, Anya Taylor-Joy was included in the cast so early, the screenplay was not even written for the TV show. Creator Scott Frank send the novel of Walter Tevis with the same name and Anya accepted immediately.
2. Actually, The Queen’s Gambit was going to be a movie before it was made a TV show… Before Heath Ledger died, this production was considered as a movie in 2008.
3. Anya didn’t know anything about chess before her role as Beth in this project. And she said that knowing about chess contributed her to be involved in this world.
4. All of the moves before the chess playing scenes are previously prepared by chess consultants Garry Kasparov and Bruce Pandolfini. These two also helped all actors.
5. Scott Frank, creator of the TV show thought of Garry Kasparov to play Borgov but Kasparov declined this offer and only did consulting.
6. All chess scenes on the screen were really played by the actors including the speed chess games.
7. In some scenes where we can only see the actor’s faces, the actors continued to play the game.
8. Anya who plays Beth learned the moves minute before the shooting so that she remembers the chess moves.
9. Anya, Scott Frank and hair designer Daniel Parker decided for Beth to have red hair without even knowing what others think. A wig was used to make Beth’s hair models.
10. Anya did ‘The Queen’s Gambit’, ‘Emma’ and ‘Last Night in Soho’ projects in the same period. She only had 1 day for herself between each project.
11. Benny character in the TV show is created by being inspired by American master chess player Bobby Fischer. Bobby Fischer is known with his “The Game of The Century” win when he won, he was 13 years old.
12. Anya said being a former ballerina helped Beth character. “I had cartographies like bale but I followed them with my fingers on the chessboard.”
13. Additionally, Beth being a female chess player and her stance against her male dominants as we can see on the screen was important for Anya.
14. Moreover, each actor developed their own personal attitude for each character. For example, Thomas Brodie-Sangster decided to constantly play with his ring for Benny role.
15. Costume designer Gabriele Binger is inspired from a chessboard for Beth’s clothes.
16. The inspiration for the chess scene shooting was from Ed Zwick’s “Pawn Sacrifice” movie. Just like in this movie, the audience sees the faces of the actors more than the chessboard.
17. Although most of the story of ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ is in the US, the shooting was completed in Berlin.
18. Additionally, Marielle Heller who plays Alma in the TV show is the director of movies such as ‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’, ‘Can You Ever Forgive Me?’ and ‘What the Constitution Means to Me’.
19. Since the chess moves in Beth’s mind that we see on the screen are real, the special effects team learned how to play chess.
20. Numerous women worked behind the scenes; for example, Michelle Tesoro alone undertakes the editing of 7 episodes.
21. Anya is a great Harry Potter fan and she was very happy to see Harry Melling who played Dudley character in “Harry Potter” movies in ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ TV show…
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