Anya Taylor-Joy not only stars in Lucky, the new thriller series that just premiered on Apple TV. The Argentine actress also served as executive producer on this ambitious project, proving that her influence in the audiovisual industry already extends far beyond being in front of the camera. It reflects a growing trend in Hollywood: actresses are taking creative control of their own projects.

An adaptation that breaks female archetypes

Lucky is the television adaptation of the novel of the same name by Marissa Stapley. The plot places the protagonist in a race against time: after a multi-million-dollar heist that goes wrong, young Lucky must flee while pursued by both the FBI and a ruthless crime boss. But this is not a story of a conventional heroine.

According to hipertextual.com, what most attracted Taylor-Joy was precisely the opposite: a morally ambiguous female character, someone who commits ethically questionable acts to survive. "What seemed interesting to me was that it offers a very different view of what it means to be someone who can never stay still. Someone who has to keep moving to survive but is forced to take advantage of others," the actress explained during a media encounter.

Feminist frustration brought to screen

Taylor-Joy was clear about her motivation: she was tired of seeing men with these characteristics on television while women remained confined to more limited archetypes. "I think the feminist in me felt a bit frustrated seeing so many morally ambiguous men and so few women in the same situation. I'd like people to be treated as people," she said.

The acting challenge was considerable. Taylor-Joy had to embody someone who constantly pretends to be someone else, creating an additional layer of complexity: when is she acting out the deception and when the truth? "What surprised me was the challenge of playing someone you want the audience to identify with, while she is continuously playing someone else," she reflected.

Timothy Olyphant breaks his hero mold

Lucky is not the only complex character in the series. Timothy Olyphant, accustomed to playing heroes and law enforcement agents, this time brings to life John Armstrong, the protagonist's father: a manipulative criminal who breaks the rules as he pleases.

The actor explained the appeal of these characters: "I have this whole fantasy that whenever there are people driving like absolute idiots, I always want to pull up next to them. But I think: I can't do it. However, in these shows there are characters like that. And I think that allows us to live their adventures vicariously through them."

For Olyphant, the real appeal lies in internal contradiction: his character seems to behave like one of the good guys, says he truly loves his daughter and desperately tries to do the right thing, but simply cannot.

When to watch the series and what to expect

The first two episodes of Lucky are now available on Apple TV. The rest will premiere weekly every Wednesday until August 19. The cast is completed by Annette Benning and Drew Starkey, among others.

What sets Lucky apart from the usual thriller catalogue is precisely that: the refusal to simplify its characters. In a genre where spectacle often takes precedence over psychological depth, this series bets on believable antiheroes. The question left hanging is whether the audience is ready to empathise with characters who, simply, would not deserve our sympathy in real life.