No, Maisie Williams didn’t reveal that Sansa Stark will die in Game of Thrones season 7

(Photo by Amy E. Price/Getty Images for SXSW)

If, like myself, you’re a fan of the Stark sisters, you were probably interested to see Maisie Williams and Sophie Turner take the stage alongside Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss at the South by Southwest conference in Austin, TX this past weekend. It was a fun talk that gave us a handful of interesting tidbits concerning the final two seasons, but one moment concerning Sansa Stark’s fate sent many fans into a tailspin.

When Sophie Turner was asked why she had ditched her famous red locks for her current blonde look (her natural hair color, FYI), Maisie Williams quipped, “She’s dead.” This innocent joke was immediately seized upon, with various fans and websites scrambling to speculate on whether Williams had let the cat out of the bag.

Fans of the elder Stark sister were not happy, and took to Twitter to express their disappointment.

While I, a diehard Sansa Stark fan, understand why the prospect of her death has sent her supporters into a panic, I also think that Williams’ comment needs to be taken with several grains of salt. If she had been intending to let such a huge spoiler slip, it’s not likely that she would have done so in front of her employers. Anyone can make a mistake, but Williams has had six years to practice her secret-keeping skills, and she undoubtedly would have been extra careful to keep those secrets under wraps around Benioff and Weiss.

Sophie Turner has also been blonde since filming for season 7 began. She used to dye her hair red, but this year she followed in the footsteps of Emilia Clarke and Lena Headey and got fitted with a wig. Here she is next to a glum-looking Kit Harington, a man who has had no control over his hair for over half a decade.

The fact that Williams “confirmed” Sansa’s death in response to a question about Sophie’s blonde hair is as much proof as any — the whole thing was a joke that got a little out of hand. Although it’s true that Game of Thrones is a show in which no character is safe, Williams’ comments, along with some interesting information from Turner herself, may just serve as confirmation that one Stark, at least, is set to survive to season 8. Don’t dig out your mourning clothes just yet.