5 min readAnya Taylor-Joy’s acting career has continued to soar, with standout roles in projects like Emma, The Queen’s Gambit, and the upcoming crime miniseries Lucky. Yet despite her growing fame, the actor has remained notably private about her life off the screen.
Taylor-Joy secretly married musician and actor Malcolm McRae in 2022, and revealed the news two years later, in a cheeky Instagram post. Since then, the couple has walked several red carpets, attended award shows and sporting events, and shared a few Instagram selfies together—but they still tend to keep their relationship mostly out of the spotlight.
So who is McRae, and how did the pair first meet? Below, everything to know about Taylor-Joy’s husband.
He’s part of a two-person rock band.
Taylor-Joy could tell you how hard it is to fight the allure of a man playing an instrument. Her husband is one half of a rock band called more*, which he co-founded with former Portugal. The Man member Kane Ritchotte. The musicians were first introduced by Brandon Bernath, a filmmaker who has worked on a number of videos for more*, for “Green,” “Lazy James,” and “Keeping It in the Family.”
The duo released its first EP, 1/2, in July 2020, and since then has released two more EPs, 2/2 (2021) and Another Change (2022). The band also opened for Haim’s One More Haim Tour throughout May and June 2022.
He is also an actor.
While music seems to be McRae’s main artistic outlet, he also has a history in theater.
In fact, according to his IMDb page, the Alabama native won an acting competition when he was only 12, receiving the Over All Young Actor award in 2006 at the AMTC talent competition.
Since then, he has starred in the short films Brotherly and How’dy, the musical 13, and two episodes of the Prime Video miniseries Daisy Jones & the Six. He is also set to star in upcoming fantasy horror film Triton alongside Freya Allan and Raff Law.
His social media shows his love of art and architecture.
Clearly, McRae is a fan of all kinds of art. The multitalented creative frequently uses his Instagram page to highlight works of art or architectural feats he admires.
For instance, in January, the songwriter shared a snap of the Rosenbaum House, writing: “Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Rosenbaum House in Florence, AL (shout out home state). 1939. Wright built about 60 ‘Usonian’ homes, intended as low-cost housing for lower middle-class families. Most cost about double their og budgets. This one $14k (back in 30’s). But they’re certainly purty. Have seen this one in person but am a shit photog so credit Patrick Hood.”
He wrote a song about Anya only two days after they met.
According to People, Taylor-Joy and McRae first met at the March 2021 premiere of her hit Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit. That same month, Taylor-Joy alluded to her new beau in an interview with Elle, saying, “My partner’s just come back from work, and he’s moving around all of his equipment, so this was the safe spot” (in reference to why she was conducting her Zoom interview from the bathroom).
Only two days after their first encounter, McRae wrote a song about meeting the Emmy-nominated star, which he detailed in an Instagram post later on. “It’s called ‘Really Want to See You Again’. Available to stream and watch now through @moretheband,” he wrote.
He “accidentally” proposed to Anya in the sweetest way possible.
In an interview with Letterboxd, Taylor-Joy described Forrest Gump as one of her favorite movies—and revealed how it inadvertently played a role in her proposal from McRae.
“Forrest Gump. I love that movie. I miss movies like that. Just huge, epic sagas where you just feel every emotion under the sun, and there’s like this beautiful poetry underneath it. I love it,” she said.
Costar Chris Hemsworth prompted, “Did something special happen on the Forrest Gump bench?”
“Yes. My husband accidentally proposed to me on the Forrest Gump bench in Savannah,” she replied. “Complete accident, and he’s a boy from Alabama. And I’m blonde. So just—just happened. I hear that music and I cry like a baby.”
They secretly tied the knot in April 2022.
In a surprise Instagram post on their second wedding anniversary, Taylor-Joy revealed that she and McRae secretly tied the knot in the spring of 2022. Up until that point, many believed the couple had gotten married in Venice, Italy (due to photos from a presumably larger ceremony), but it turns out the official event took place in Louisiana.
“Two years ago, on April Fools, I secretly married my best friend in New Orleans,” Taylor-Joy wrote. “The magic of that day is ingrained in every cell of my being, forever. Happy second ( first ) anniversary my love…you’re the coolest🫀 N.B yes, those are anatomically correct heart cakes. Yes, I am the vampire Lestat. 📷 @caradelevingne + @sebastianfaena 👗 beautifully embroidered with our love story by @dior.”
In her slideshow, the Golden Globe winner included shots of herself and McRae all dressed up for their nuptials, as well as a photo of their wedding cakes, which looked like bloody hearts dropped on a plate.
On the same day that Taylor-Joy revealed their anniversary, McRae shared his own post, which read: “I love you now and somehow I always have and somehow it will never end. Happy two year anniversary (yesterday), beautiful. Photos @sebastianfaena.”
He walked the runway during Paris Fashion Week.
McRae made his runway debut during the Fall 2026 menswear collections at Paris Fashion Week. He walked in Amiri’s show, wearing an all-black look featuring rhinestones and embroidery.
Later, he took to his Instagram to reflect on the experience, sharing that the brand had asked him to walk the runway as a special guest. “Zoolander ass Johnny bravo lookin ass,” he joked, adding, “Was fun and honestly a little scary.”
He and Anya celebrated their fourth anniversary this year.
The couple celebrated their four-year wedding anniversary in April 2026. McRae shared an Instagram carousel featuring a few photos and videos of the two. He captioned it, “Four years married. Im trying to return to you more love than you’re able to give out. But it’s hard because you’re better than me at *almost everything. I dominate in thumb wars.”