The Queen’s Gambit’s Anya Taylor-Joy admits she was star-struck meeting Harry Melling

She’s currently riding high on a wave of critical acclaim for her performance in the hugely popular new Netflix show The Queen’s Gambit.

And Anya Taylor-Joy, 24, has revealed that she was star-struck on meeting Harry Potter favourite Harry Melling, 31, on the set of their show for the first time. 

British actor Harry is seen on The Queen’s Gambit as Harry Beltik, a friend and one of Anya’s character Beth’ Harmon’s chess competitors in Kentucky.

Star-struck: Anya Taylor-Joy has revealed that she was star-struck on meeting Harry Potter favourite Harry Melling on the set of their show The Queen’s Gambit for the first time 

However, Anya has admitted that she experienced her own fan girl moment when she met Harry, thanks to his role as Harry Potter’s spoiled cousin Dudley Dursley.

In a new interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, she admitted to leaving it just a few minutes before she let Harry know what a huge fan she was.

She said: ‘I timed it correctly, which is not in the first 10 minutes, but not exceeding 10 minutes… You have to get it out of the way… [otherwise] it gets weird and then you kept something from them. So it’s better just to get it out of the way.’

Co-star: British actor Harry Melling is seen on The Queen's Gambit as Harry Beltik, a friend and one of Anya's character Beth' Harmon's chess competitors in Kentucky

Co-star: British actor Harry Melling is seen on The Queen’s Gambit as Harry Beltik, a friend and one of Anya’s character Beth’ Harmon’s chess competitors in Kentucky

Fan: Anya admitted that she had a fan girl moment when she met Harry, thanks to his role as Harry Potter's spoiled cousin Dudley Dursley. Pictured with Richard Griffiths and Fiona Shaw

Fan: Anya admitted that she had a fan girl moment when she met Harry, thanks to his role as Harry Potter’s spoiled cousin Dudley Dursley. Pictured with Richard Griffiths and Fiona Shaw

Elsewhere in her interview, the actress also revealed that she is now officially on the property ladder after purchasing a home in the English capital. 

The star said: ‘I am currently living in London. I actually just bought my first house, which feels really exciting. I doubt we’ll have furniture anytime soon, but it has a roof and I feel good about that.’

However, she won’t be sharing the new space with her beloved pet dog, thanks to a generous move on her part for a grieving family member.

She explained: ‘I have a wonderful dog, but my grandmother unfortunately lost her husband last year, so my dog is currently with grandma and I don’t think I’m getting her back and that’s OK. I’ve made peace with that… She’s a little guardian angel.’

Chat: Anya spoke about her role on the hit Netflix show in an interview with Ellen DeGeneres

Chat: Anya spoke about her role on the hit Netflix show in an interview with Ellen DeGeneres

Home: The 24-year-old star also revealed that she has just purchased her first home in London

Home: The 24-year-old star also revealed that she has just purchased her first home in London

In a recent interview, Anya revealed that she doesn’t see herself as ‘beautiful enough’ to be cast in films, and has even gone as far as to brand herself ‘ugly’. 

‘I have never and I don’t think I will ever think of myself as beautiful,’ The Sun quotes the striking actress as saying. ‘I don’t think I’m beautiful enough to be in films.’

She continued: ‘It sounds pathetic and my boyfriend warns me people will think I’m an absolute d*** for saying these things, but I just think I’m weird-looking.

‘I won’t go to the cinema to watch my own film, I’ll watch it before. The beauty of being in your own skin is that you don’t have to look at your own face.’

Beautiful: The actress recently revealed that she doesn't see herself as 'beautiful enough' to be cast in films, and has even gone as far as to brand herself 'ugly'. Pictured in February

Beautiful: The actress recently revealed that she doesn’t see herself as ‘beautiful enough’ to be cast in films, and has even gone as far as to brand herself ‘ugly’. Pictured in February 

The actress went on to admit that she ‘genuinely had a panic attack’ when she was cast in the titular role on the movie adaptation of the Jane Austen Emma.

She explained of her feelings at the time: ‘I thought, “I am the first ugly Emma and I can’t do this”, because the first line in the movie is, “I’m handsome, clever and rich”.’ 

Anya recently revealed that she ‘certainly’ would do a second season of hit Netflix show The Queen’s Gambit, based on a book by American author Walter Tevis.   

In season one, the actress played Beth Harmon, a chess prodigy and orphan from Kentucky whose genius is never in doubt. 

Speaking to Town & Country, Anya said: ‘If I’ve learned anything from being in this industry, it’s never say never.

Striking: 'I have never and I don¿t think I will ever think of myself as beautiful,' The Sun quotes the striking actress as saying. 'I don¿t think I¿m beautiful enough to be in films'

Striking: ‘I have never and I don’t think I will ever think of myself as beautiful,’ The Sun quotes the striking actress as saying. ‘I don’t think I’m beautiful enough to be in films’

‘I adore the character, and I would certainly come back if I was asked to, but I do think we leave Beth in a good place.

‘I think the rest of her life will surely be an adventure as well, but in the quest that she goes on in this to find some form of peace, just some form of being able to be happy with who she is. I think it ends in a nice place.’

The Queen’s Gambit is one of the oldest known chess openings, and is the moved used by Beth at the conclusion of the seven-part series. 

The Netflix show has gained fans among both chess professionals, for the authenticity of the game strategies, and fashionistas for the stunning Sixties styling.  

Panic: The actress went on to admit that she 'had a panic attack' when she was cast in the titular role on the movie adaptation of the Jane Austen Emma because of how she saw herself

Panic: The actress went on to admit that she ‘had a panic attack’ when she was cast in the titular role on the movie adaptation of the Jane Austen Emma because of how she saw herself

Anya has a photographic memory, which is surely handy for scripts, and describes herself as ‘an empath’ — someone who feels others’ emotions to an intense degree.

She her character Beth, she admitted: ‘By the time I got to playing her I didn’t have the energy to create a wall between me and her. So, if she was having a bad day, I was having a bad day.’   

The American-born, English-Argentine star was the star of an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma which was released this spring.  

Born in Miami, Anya is the youngest of six children and was raised in Argentina. Her father is a banker who races speedboats and her mother is a photographer.

Another round: Anya recently revealed that she 'certainly' would do a second season of hit Netflix show The Queen's Gambit, based on a book by American author Walter Tevis

Another round: Anya recently revealed that she ‘certainly’ would do a second season of hit Netflix show The Queen’s Gambit, based on a book by American author Walter Tevis 

Aged six, the family moved to London’s Knightsbridge and she went to Hill House prep school and then Queen’s Gate School.

She said: ‘Argentina is all green and I had horses and animals everywhere. All of a sudden I was in big city and I didn’t speak the language.’ 

The actress describes her ‘mash up’ of identities, with a British sense of humour combined with ‘Argentine warmth… I hug everybody. I’m very effusive.’

Anya was scouted to be a model and left school at 16 to pursue acting. Before Emma, she had various small parts, including one in the X-Men spin-off film The New Mutants.

At present, she is in Belfast filming a lead role in The Northman opposite Nicole Kidman and Alexander Skarsgard.

First heard: At present, she is in Belfast filming a lead role in The Northman opposite Nicole Kidman and Alexander Skarsgard. Pictured in February

First heard: At present, she is in Belfast filming a lead role in The Northman opposite Nicole Kidman and Alexander Skarsgard. Pictured in February