Maisie Williams remembers her eye-opening audition for Game of Thrones, when she realized that everything that made her different were perfect for the role.
Game of Thrones was stacked end to end with great actors, some of whom were already well-established by the time they got their roles (Sean Bean, Lena Headey) and others who were just starting out. Actors like Sophie Turner (Sansa) and Maisie Williams (Arya) floored people right out of the gate, and are on their way to long, fruitful careers, all thanks to Game of Thrones.
Arya in particular was a tricky role to cast, but now that the show is over, it’s impossible to think of anyone besides Williams playing her. She got the part when she was just 12, and recalled her eye-opening audition process to Backstage:
"I had gone quite far in the audition process for Nanny McPhee before I got to Game of Thrones, so I knew what to expect. And what I’d noticed was a lot of the other kids were just really well put-together, and I never felt like that. I was always losing something, or I’d forget my water bottle or my script. All of that stressed me out. But what I realized, when I got the part in Game of Thrones, was that all those things about me that were different made me right for that role. I even remember that on my audition day, I had a hole in my leggings and I was trying to cover it with my hand while I was doing the scene. But now I know that Arya is known for being scruffy, especially when she was a kid – she’s always the cause of her mother’s shame; she’s always late or has been out playing in the mud – stuff like that. So, I guess I learned very early on that the strange things about you are what makes you unique and what might make you perfect for a role."
She’s dead-on, of course; if you’re casting the rough-and-tumble Arya Stark, an actor who’s a little messy is exactly what you want, and obviously it paid off.
I love the message, too, that embracing what makes you unique will benefit you in the end. But as she got older, Williams realized that it wouldn’t always come that naturally. “Now, I’m trying to unlearn so much,” she said. “When I was younger I was so naive, and that was the best thing that I could have been. But now I’m second-guessing myself all the time and tripping myself up, which is the worst way to be. It’s just something that you end up doing as you get older and you play things safer and safer. Just embrace yourself and take risks. It’s ultimately going to do better things for you, I think.”
I think I speak for all Game of Thrones fans when I say that the best thing Williams can do is be herself, cause I’d love to see more of that raw talent up onscreen. Her new show Two Weeks to Live looks like it shows it off quite nicely.
Williams also stopped by The Late Late Show with James Corden where she showed off the tattoo that commemorates the date when she and Sophie Turner were cast on Game of Thrones: August 8, 2009.
Obviously, Williams having a matching tattoo with her onscreen sister is among the cutest things ever, if not the cutest:
Two Weeks to Live premieres on Sky One on September 2. And if you want to see Williams up onscreen even sooner, you can catch her in The New Mutants as Wolfsbane this weekend!
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