Maisie Williams (Arya) teases trouble with the Faceless Men

We’ve known for a while that Arya Stark will have a hard time of it in Game of Thrones Season 6. A look at the promotional images, which show her blinded and begging in the streets, make that clear enough. Actress Maisie Williams reiterated Arya’s problems in a new interview with TV Line. “She’s not the same Arya that we’ve seen in previous seasons,” she said. “Sometimes, you watch Arya scenes and you think, ‘She’s got this. Don’t worry.’ This is a season where you watch and go, ‘Oh, she really doesn’t.”

Poor Arya: blinded and beaten and in a strange place managed by very strange people. Even Sophie Turner, who plays Sansa Stark, is concerned for her onscreen sister, despite the fact that, unless something hugely unexpected happens, their storylines won’t cross this year. According to Turner, Arya is “so vulnerable this season, and it’s so exciting to see her in that place, because you see her as this badass.”

"And she still is a badass. But she’s been dealt the upper hand and she’s been very lucky, and this is about her really getting challenged for the first time. It’s going to be a big season for her."

But according to Williams, Arya won’t stay downtrodden forever. Remember that moment from the second trailer where she’s fighting with the Waif and that old look of angry defiance comes back on her face? Hopefully we’ll see more of that as the season goes on.

“At the beginning, she’s like, ‘Whether or not I like it, I have to trust these people,’” Williams said. “The feisty Arya doesn’t kick in until a little bit later. She starts rebelling, and she gets her confidence back.”

What might Arya do with that renewed confidence later in the season? That’s the key question.

Williams also gave an interview to Nylon, where she discussed living the life of a Hollywood actress, staying grounded, and roller skating. She also took pictures like this:

Photographed by Dani Brubaker. Dress by Ashish, jeans by Levi’s, shoes and bracelet by Chanel, bra by Deborah Marquit, briefs and earring by Dior, headband by Jennifer Behr.

And there’s more where that came from. This interview is mostly about Williams’ personal life, but a fun read where her charm comes across. She did weigh in on the ongoing controversy surrounding the depiction of women on Game of Thrones. “They’re written as whole characters,” she said of the women on the show.

"Of course, there are elements in the show where women are treated badly, but it’s representative of that era. And yes, it is disturbing watching a woman get raped on-screen, but it’s also disturbing watching kids getting killed, babies getting killed, horses being killed, basically everything you can think of on the show being killed, murdered, tortured."

We’ll see more of Williams when Game of Thrones Season 6 debuts on April 24.