Biography of Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Aaron Taylor-Johnson is a British actor, screenwriter, and producer who developed a passion for cinema at an early age, playing young Eisenheim in the Oscar-winning film "The Illusionist" (2006). He gained fame for his role as Ray Marcus in the dramatic thriller "Nocturnal Animals" (2016), for which he received a Golden Globe Award.The actor's portfolio also includes portraying Alexei Vronsky in "Anna Karenina," Pietro Maximoff in the blockbuster "Avengers: Age of Ultron," and James Frey in the social drama "A Million Little Pieces." At the end of 2023, he was named the most likely candidate for the role of the new James Bond.
Childhood, Adolescence, Family
Aaron Perry Johnson (the actor's full name) was born in the summer of 1990 to an engineer and a housewife from the small British town of High Wycombe, located near London. Aaron has an older sister named Gemma.The Johnson family has English, Russian, and Jewish ancestry. Aaron began acting in television commercials at the age of six and made his stage debut in the West End production of "Macbeth" with Rufus Sewell, who played the king, at the age of eight. He played Macduff's son, who gets killed while lying completely naked in a bathtub. Reflecting on this role, the actor said:
In 1999, Aaron appeared in the series "Midsomer Murders" and played Joe Byrne in the drama "The Apocalypse."It's all nonsense. We're not talking about swimwear here—I was completely naked. It was strange... I think, looking back, I have a lot to understand about what my childhood in the adult industry was like... Did I feel uncomfortable? Yes, I probably did.
As a teenager, he was physically fit and slightly hyperactive, with interests in skateboarding, BMX riding, martial arts, gymnastics. He once aspired to join the school football team, but this desire was fleeting as he soon encountered the Jackie Palmer Theatre School, where he studied acting, dance, jazz, acrobatics, and singing, quickly becoming one of the leading young actors.
About his childhood in High Wycombe, he once said:
I haven't been there for about six years. I still consider it a place I wanted to escape from. I get along fine with my mom and dad, but if they want to see their grandchildren, they come to me. I don't have any friends from where I grew up, but it's not about fame.
Acting Career
Aaron's first major role was in the Christmas movie "Tom & Thomas" (2002), where he starred alongside Sean Bean and Derek de Lint. He played the challenging role of identical twins at the age of 10. The filming took place in Amsterdam, and for six months, Aaron and his mother lived in an apartment in the Red Light District.Aaron played the role of Charlie, a resourceful street boy who wore a familiar-looking pot and later revealed his last name to be Chaplin.Chan would arrive on set in the morning with his stunt team and immediately figure out which chandelier to swing from, which chair to break, and whose head to smash it against. He boldly and fearlessly pushed the boundaries. People don't do things because they're too afraid of looking foolish, which stifles creativity.
His subsequent films included the comedy "Dead Cool" (George) and the family drama "Feather Boy" (Niker). Two years later, he landed the role of young Eisenheim in the Oscar-winning film "The Illusionist."
During this period, he experienced something akin to stardom sickness:
Simultaneously, the young actor starred as the main character in the German fantasy film "The Thief Lord" and the American-British project "Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging."I had a self-destructive moment. Luckily, it went unnoticed. I started drinking very early. What else is there to do in a small provincial town? At 15, I was going to clubs in London. That's when I went a bit off the rails. I was spending a lot of money, and I can't even remember the next two years... It ruined all my work and my life. It was a shitty, dark time, right before 'Nowhere Boy'.
Aaron's breakthrough role came in the biographical drama "Nowhere Boy" (2009) about the childhood and youth of The Beatles' leader. Although critics were somewhat lukewarm about Johnson's performance, the actor worked meticulously on the role: he studied the singer's accent on YouTube and watched all available documentaries. The film won several British Academy Film Awards.
That same year, the action comedy "Kick-Ass" was released, where the actor once again played the main character, the loser Dave Lizewski, who dreamed of becoming a real superhero. His dream came true with the help of Hit-Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) and her father (Nicolas Cage).
Taylor-Johnson's work in the superhero movie "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," where he appeared as the superhero Quicksilver, a native of Sokovia, Pietro Maximoff, was very successful. The sequel "Avengers: Age of Ultron" was also interesting.
The actor portrayed Lord James Douglas, an assistant and advisor to the Scottish monarch, in the historical film "Outlaw King" (2018). His co-star, who played King Robert the Bruce, was Chris Pine.
Subsequently, there was not only acting but also screenwriting work in the social drama "A Million Little Pieces." Based on the memoirs of James Frey, Aaron created a biographical story about a writer who ended up in a rehabilitation center after a plane crash.
Another interesting project featuring Taylor-Johnson was Christopher Nolan's dramatic thriller "Tenet" (2020).
One of the main roles went to Aaron in David Leitch's action comedy "Bullet Train." In the film, Taylor-Johnson was unrecognizable, sporting a lush mustache and a new hairstyle. It is worth noting that the filming was hazardous: in one of the scenes, Brad Pitt accidentally injured Aaron, leaving him with a scar as a memento of their work together.
In 2023, the sci-fi action movie "Kraven the Hunter" was released. Diving into the main character's role, Aaron noted that he had chosen roles according to an intuitive feeling, and he spent two years on Kraven to make his character exactly as fans saw it.
As I've said before, I have to march to the beat of my own drum. That's my own path, which I understand intuitively. I've never made decisions based on other people's views, judgments, or expectations. You'll go insane if you do. Your sense of self-worth and soul are gone. You need to understand what is essential to you and what feels right, and you must not stray from the path that lies ahead of you.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Personal Life
At 19, Aaron Taylor-Johnson met 43-year-old Sam Taylor-Wood, an established filmmaker and director of the movie "Nowhere Boy," in which Aaron played the lead role.Aaron said he felt an attraction to her from the first moment. Their romance ignited on set, and he wasn't deterred by the fact that Sam had two daughters, Angelica and Jessie, with her ex-husband, art dealer Jay Jopling. Shortly after the release of their first film together, the couple announced their engagement.
Aaron showed his commitment by taking on the double-barreled surname Taylor-Johnson, which has since appeared in the credits.
The couple married in 2012 when Sam was pregnant with their second child together, Romy Hero. Their older daughter, Wylda Rae, was born in 2010.
The actor tends not to speak much about his personal life, but he says he's dreamed of a large family since he was ten and puts his family's interests above everything else.
When pressed too much about the age gap with his wife, Aaron briefly responds:
I have nothing to hide, I'm confident in my life. But I'm not going to reveal things that are truly precious to me. I met Sam as an actor to a director. We worked well together, but that's not why I fell in love with her. I like normal things, daily life, getting the kids ready in the morning, taking them to school and their activities; it feeds my soul. I knew I'd have a big family, that I'd be a young father, and that there would be many children.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson Now
Whether Taylor-Johnson will become the new James Bond should be revealed in 2024. For now, the actor is focused on other projects. He appeared alongside Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt in the action comedy-drama "The Stuntmen," playing one of the central characters, Tom Ryder. His character suddenly disappeared from the set, while the multimillion-dollar blockbuster was already announced for distribution and deadlines were tight.Additionally, fans will be able to see Aaron as the owner of a merchant ship, Frederick Harding, in the mystical horror film "Nosferatu." The film's director, screenwriter, and producer, Robert Eggers, has been fascinated by this horror story since childhood and finally decided to create a remake, which also stars Bill Skarsgård, Lily-Rose Depp, and Willem Dafoe. The premiere is expected at the end of 2024.
Interesting Facts
- Back in 2010, following the birth of their first daughter, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Sam Taylor-Wood bought an old farmhouse in Somerset and put their villa in the Hollywood Hills up for sale. Since 2022, the family has been living in England, with neighbors including fashion designers Stella McCartney and Phoebe Philo, theatre impresario Sir Cameron Mackintosh, and art tycoons Ivan and Manuela Wirth. Taylor-Johnson discovered that he enjoys life in the countryside. "It's what I love to do. I have pigs. I have bees! I could probably just retire, drop everything and just enjoy life with my children and country living," the actor admits.
- Colleagues and friends note that apart from his incredible dedication to acting, Aaron loves to take care of others. "When he bakes a cherry pie," says "Nocturnal Animals" director Tom Ford, "it's the tastiest cherry pie you've ever tried."
- On the set of "Bullet Train," Taylor-Johnson worked alongside Brian Tyree Henry, playing assassins Tangerine and Lemon, who identify themselves as twin brothers. Henry shared in an interview:
"This idiot went and got a real lemon tree," says Henry, "and planted it between our trailers. Throughout the entire film, we could watch and nurture this tree. I thought, 'What the hell are you thinking about?' But he got me to water this plant, to mist the leaves. That's Aaron. He's just like, 'We'll figure out how to deal with this together.'