The Gorge stars Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy in this sci-fi horror story that also features some unexpected callbacks to the stars’ previous famous roles. Taylor-Joy and Teller lead the cast of The Gorge as Drasa and Levi, respectively, two elite soldiers from different backgrounds who find themselves ᴀssigned to stand guard on opposite sides of a mysterious gorge with an unknown threat lurking at the bottom. However, even with the dangers of the mission and the lack of communication allowed between them, they manage to develop a strong bond.

The Apple TV+ original movie mashes together a lot of genres, with the romantic elements elevated by the performances from the two stars. Taylor-Joy and Teller had already proved themselves in a number of acclaimed roles prior to The Gorge, and they make for a compelling duo. However, some of those past roles ended up being hinted at in this movie, despite some protests from the actors themselves.

The Gorge Features What Seem Like Nods To The Queen’s Gambit & Whiplash

Drasa And Levi’s Hobbies Mirror The Actors’ Famous Roles

The Gorge‘s surprising romantic elements are at the center of the first half of the film as Drasa and Levi defy their orders not to communicate with each other and begin developing a rapport from across the gorge. Without any direct line of communication, they have to get clever with writing messages on whiteboards and using signals. Eventually, they even start sharing their hobbies with each other, including a sequence where they celebrate Christmas by playing chess and jamming out on the drums together.

While these are brief moments in the midst of a fun montage, they also seem to be clever nods to Taylor-Joy’s work in The Queen’s Gambit and Teller’s work in Whiplash. The Queen’s Gambit is based on the novel by Walter Tevis, with Taylor-Joy starring as chess prodigy Beth Harmon, who strives to be the best in the world while overcoming her own demons. Meanwhile, Teller found his breakout role starring in the musical drama Whiplash as aspiring jazz drummer Andrew, who contends with his brilliant but abusive teacher, Fletcher (JK Simmons).

While both actors have gone on to do some amazing projects since these roles, The Queen’s Gambit and Whiplash are likely the most well-known roles for Taylor-Joy and Teller, respectively. The miniseries helped launch Taylor-Joy as a rising star in Hollywood and earned her Golden Globe and SAG Awards, as well as an Emmy nomination. Teller also became a Hollywood star thanks to Whiplash.

Anya Taylor-Joy & Miles Teller Wanted To Get Rid Of The Easter Eggs

The Actors Insist The Connections Were Coincidental

While some might see these little details as fun Easter eggs within The Gorge, Anya Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller were not as fond of the references. Despite the fact that the actors insist that the inclusion of these moments was purely coincidental and was not added as a wink to the audience, Taylor-Joy and Teller sought to remove these moments from the final cut of The Gorge. Teller remarked that:

“That was in the script from the very [beginning], before either of us were attached to this project. That was a part of the very first draft. We tried to remove it.”

Taylor-Joy added that they both felt the references were a little too obvious to include:

“Yeah, we were like, do we not think that this is a bit on the nose? And they were like, ‘Nah, they’re trying to get to know each other. These are things that you can do across the gorge.'”

Despite the fact that The Queen’s Gambit and Whiplash are not similar to The Gorge in the slightest, it is hard not to think about Taylor-Joy and Teller’s previous projects during this scene. It is also a little hard to believe that these moments were included randomly before the two actors were attached to the project. These two characters deciding to make impromptu drum kits feels very forced and there would seemingly be no reason to include a chessboard in these outposts that are meant to include only one person with no contact with anyone else.

The actors are also right that the references are very on-the-nose, but they add a bit of fun to The Gorge that, while arguably unnecessary, also doesn’t distract too much from the overall movie.