Aaron Taylor-Johnson reflects on his relationship with social media: ‘Things still hurt’

Aaron Taylor-Johnson has spoken candidly about his ever-changing relationship with social media, and how he’s had to build up a “thick skin” to deal with the “toxic” comments.

In a new interview with Vanity Fair for the 2023 Hollywood Issue, the Bullet Train star opened up about the negativity that can spread on social media, and that he’s chosen to not feed into the gossip.

When asked about the rumours surrounding his potential bid to play the next James Bond, Taylor-Johnson said the chatter was “flattering,” but it also reflects how rumours can spread so quickly.

“You can have something really positive [written about you], but you can also have something really negative that can circulate,” he told Vanity Fair in an interview published on 15 February. “You just want to stay in your lane, stay grounded, stay around the people that you love and love you back, and stay in that world.”

“Because the moment you start believing the sh*t people say about you, you’ve lost your f***ing mind,” he continued. “You’ve lost it.”

As for social media, the Nocturnal Animals star admitted he’s “awful” at keeping up with it and would “rather not carry a phone” altogether.

“I only started carrying a phone when my kids went to school and I thought, I’d better have a phone for emergencies,” he said.

Taylor-Johnson explained that he first activated his Instagram account, which now has 480K followers, when he was doing press for his role as Pietro Maximoff in the Marvel cinematic universe.

“I had it for a few years. I found it really toxic and clogging up my imaginative brain space,” he said, before adding how being a father to a teenager has also influenced his relationship with social media.

“I’ve got a teenager. Being a parent that was like, ‘I’m going to have it, but you can’t’ seemed ridiculous to me,” he said. “It’s the way it was when we were kids and it was like, ‘I want to smoke.’ And your parent goes, ‘You can’t smoke, it’s bad for you.’ And you go, ‘You smoke a pack a day. Why can’t I have a cigarette?’”

Being an actor for more than a decade, Taylor-Johnson admitted that he’s learned to avoid the haters. Though, he says some comments “still hurt”.

“There’s a lot of love on Instagram but there comes a whole bag of sh*t and anger towards you,” he told the outlet. “When you’re in our profession, you build up a thick skin, but certain things still hurt. I put it to bed at the end of 2018 and brought it back for Bullet Train. There was a healthy gap. I felt like, if I do bring it back, I’ll have some boundaries with it.”

The British actor, 32, first rose to fame in 2008 when he starred as heartthrob Robbie in the romantic-comedy Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, based on the book series by Louise Rennison.

He then went on to act in films such as Kick-Ass, Godzilla, The Avengers, Anna Karenina, and Tenant. In 2009, Taylor-Johnson auditioned to play the role of John Lennon in the film Nowhere Boy, which was directed by his now-wife Sam Taylor-Johnson. The two sparked up a relationship while on set, when Aaron was around 19 years old and Sam was 42.

The actor proposed that same year, and the following year they welcomed their now-13-year-old daughter, Wylda Rae Johnson. The two were officially married in 2012, and had daughter Romy Hero Johnson, now 11, that same year.

Sam Taylor-Johnson also shares two daughters – Angelica Jopling, 25, and Jessie Phoenix Jopling, 17 – with ex-husband Jay Jopling.

Despite being married for more than 10 years, Aaron and Sam Taylor-Johnson have been at the centre of much criticism for their 23-year age difference. However, the couple have often fought back against the online trolls. Aaron Taylor-Johnson previously discussed the public reaction that he and his wife received when they decided to make their relationship public in a 2017 interview with New York Magazine.

“The attention was intrusive,” he said at the time. “But having to deal with that early in my career probably got me to a place where I can more quickly just go, ‘Oh, fuck it’ instead of wanting to rip someone’s head off for asking questions I don’t like.”

In June 2022, the couple celebrated their 10-year wedding anniversary by renewing their vows.

“Yesterday was the most beautiful day, summer solstice, our 10th anniversary,” he captioned an Instagram post of the two kissing. “We renewed our vows to one another and confessed our love in front of our nearest and dearest friends and family it was a celebration of love and joy! A decade of marriage. It was a magical unforgettable day and the sun did not stop shining on us both.. we are blessed beyond belief. Sammy you are my love, my life, my soulmate, my wife, my world!”

The reaction from online trolls was negative and comments on the post were limited.

In 2019, Taylor-Johnson addressed their 23-year age gap in an interview with The Telegraph.

“I worked in an adult environment from an early age. I had open, direct conversations with directors, producers, actors, where my opinions would be valued and matter. I grew up pretty quickly - I left school at 15. I had a totally different upbringing from my kids,” he said. “When I met Sam I’d already lived a life far beyond that of most of my contemporaries - I didn’t relate to anyone my age. I just feel that we’re on the same wavelength.”